Beach Interlude Repost
by Darth-Taisha
Summary: Rewritten: Itachi was coming back from a mission when he comes upon Hinata alone at her family's beach house. Their meeting has life changing consequences for both of them. Part I of III, Itahina. Complete - to be continued in Part II.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note/Summary: (Repost) **Hinata is 18. She had some feelings for Naruto in the past, but gradually came to see that they were meant to be just friends. Hinata is a jounin, and has also received extensive medical training.

Itachi just finished a mission and is very ill when he meets up with Hinata. He is preparing himself to meet up with his brother soon and die at his hands.

**Timeline:** Right after Sasuke killed Orochimaru in the manga. I will do my best to follow the manga, but this story will obviously be AU. This part one of the story.

**Disclaimer****: **I do not own Naruto, if I did I would kill off characters that annoy me rather than the ones I like.

**Chapter 1**

Drawing up her knees and linking her hands lightly around them, Hinata stared out pensively over the ocean and watched as the flashes of sunlight danced over the waves. She smiled a little wryly to herself as she tried to remember a time when she ever had a chance to just relax and do nothing.

Leaning back in the chair and closing her eyes she realized that if she ever did have such a time, it was so long ago that she couldn't remember it. Her life, for as long as she could remember consisted of endless training, work, and missions.

For years Hinata had worked hard, continually pushing herself and trying to make herself stronger so her father and Naruto would recognize her. She still trained with Kiba, Kurenai and Shino, and on most evenings they would go home long before she did.

When she wasn't with her team, she was training with Sakura to become a medic nin. The Hokage had decided with her Byakugan and chakra control she would be an asset to her medical staff at the hospital. Over time Hinata had trained her eyes to see many things that others simply could not.

Unfortunately, her father did not consider her much of asset to the clan.

Hinata felt frustrated that even after making the rank of Jounin, her father still failed to see how strong she had become. He still thought she was weak. She stared sadly out over the ocean and wondered what it would take for him to recognize her. Sighing softly to herself, she wished she knew.

Back at home, Hinata had a feeling her father had only allowed her to come here because he was planning something for her when she returned home. She had been becoming suspicious when a few weeks ago he mentioned he wanted to have her meet some of her distant relatives soon. She knew that could only mean one thing. He was preparing to marry her off now that she was eighteen and set up Hanabi as his heir.

As she thought about marriage, an image of someone from long ago flashed in her mind. Someone she had kept locked deep away in her mind, but was always with her. To her…he was unforgettable.

_Itachi._

At the mere thought of his name she sighed painfully, what he had done was unforgivable and deep down she had given up on him long ago. When he brutally destroyed his clan and left, he betrayed all of them. She closed her eyes as the knowledge still hurt. Her eyes were pensive as she knew she had to look forward to a future without him in it.

Taking a long, deep breath she tried to relax as she listened to the soothing sounds of the waves as they broke along the shore. It wasn't long before she fell fast asleep.

* * *

A few hours before dusk, two weary figures trudged down the road back towards their base. The younger of the two could barely see the glimmer of the sun off the waves. His eyesight was growing dimmer all the time and he knew it was only a matter of time before he lost his sight altogether.

The last mission was particularly brutal. In their search for the four tails they had to fight almost a whole village and his chakra levels felt dangerously low. It was getting more and more difficult for them to move around from town to town without being recognized.

"Itachi?" Kisame asked.

"Yes."

"You okay?"

"I just need to rest soon and restore my chakra levels," Itachi replied wearily.

They walked along a little bit longer when Kisame spotted a beach house up ahead. _Maybe we can kill whoever lives there and stay for a while, _he thought. He was just about to mention it when he noticed Itachi had already stopped walking and was staring at the beach house with a intense look on his face.

"Itachi? Why did you stop? Did you see a ghost or something?" He joked with a smirk on his blue face.

Itachi turned and looked at him with unfocused eyes as if he was thinking about something else.

_Hmm, I wonder if it is her, it feels like her chakra,_ he thought to himself.

"Kisame, I am unable to go any further and am in need of some time off. Please inform leader I will return to the base when I am fully recovered." Itachi stated coolly.

Kisame was surprised at his change of plans, as it was highly unusual for his austere partner to ever do anything even remotely spontaneous. Itachi was by far the most rigidly disciplined ninja he had ever met.

He looked at him closely and knew his illness was progressing rapidly and realized it probably wouldn't be long now before he succumbed to it. Kisame had known about his illness for months and had been only feigning ignorance for Itachi's sake. He decided to keep up the pretence that Itachi wasn't dying a little longer.

"Okay Itachi, you get yourself rested up and I will tell leader you will report in to him in a couple of weeks. Just know this—you owe me big time." With that said he picked up his pack and Samehada and began to head toward the base.

Itachi's body slumped in relief after Kisame left, grateful he no longer needed to pretend he was fine. He found a tree on the outskirts of the property and sat down wearily under it. Ever cautious of his surroundings, he scanned the house and property with his Sharingan to see if he could detect others in the area with Hinata.

Relief flooded his mind when he found that she was all alone. The last thing he needed was a confrontation or another battle. Such a thing was almost beyond his capabilities right now.

Besides, he wasn't exactly sure what type of reception he was going to receive from Hinata as it was. It had been several years since he had left the village and he left under very treacherous circumstances. When he last saw her she was about 8 years old. _I bet she has grown up a lot since then,_ he thought with a ghost of a smile.

_He first met Hinata when he was 10 years old. He was out training when his brother found him to tell him their father wanted to see him. When he came into his father's study he saw Hiashi Hyuuga with him. As he bowed respectfully towards his father and the Hyuga clan leader, he noticed a little girl dressed in a white kimono hiding behind her father's legs. She seemed very shy as she kept her eyes firmly on the tiles on the floor._

_Looking at her he felt a small amount of pity for her. He understood what it was like to carry the oppressive weight of clan expectations on his shoulders. For someone young and shy like her, he knew the weight of being an heiress to such a powerful clan as the Hyuuga was probably crushing her._

_Itachi watched her patiently until she was brave enough to sneak a peek at him. When she looked up, he was stunned when he saw her eyes. He had never seen a Hyuuga with eyes like hers. She had beautiful, warm pearl colored eyes with just a hint of lavender in them. Most Hyuugas he knew had cold white eyes like her father._

_Standing rigidly in front of his father, he effectively hid all of his thoughts from him._

_"You wanted to see me father?" Itachi asked coolly as his eyes looked at his father with suspicion lurking in them._

_He just knew his father wanted something from him and he didn't trust him at all. He stood up taller and looked his father straight in his eyes._

_Fugaku had a fleeting glimpse of admiration at his son's quick assessment of the situation. Even at only ten years old, nothing ever got by him as he noticed everything. He just hoped his brilliant son would go along with the plans he made for him. He knew if Itachi made up his mind against them, it would take nothing short of a miracle to change his mind._

_"Yes son, I want you to meet your betrothed," he said tightly as if he was expecting his son to argue with him. He gestured his hand towards the little girl who was still cowering timidly behind her father's long robe._

_"Itachi, this is Hyuuga Hinata, and when she comes of age you will marry her," his father stated firmly with the threat of dire consequences if he refused lurking in his eyes._

_Hiashi looked on as father and son glared at each other for a long while. Itachi finally looked over at Hinata and sighed, "Father, I will do as you say. May I go now? You interrupted my training schedule," Itachi said in quietly controlled voice. The only sign he was upset was the small clench of his hand at his side._

_His father nodded and closed his eyes for a small moment and allowed himself to savor the small victory over his son. Those moments were very rare for him lately._

_Fugaku had been worried that he would have to apply more pressure to the boy and was a little surprised when he caved in so easily. Maybe, the little Hyuuga got to him somehow, he speculated as he looked down at the shy little girl._

_Hiashi, watched the boy as he left and was very impressed with how strong he appeared. He had been following his career as a shinobi for some time and was very happy when Fugaku offered him as a suitor for Hinata rather than the younger son._

_He was very pleased with the betrothal and thought the alliance would be beneficial not only to both clans, but especially his daughter. She was so shy and timid; he knew she would need someone strong to look after her when he no longer could._

_He glanced down at his daughter and sent her outside to play and followed the elder Uchiha out of the room._

_Itachi ran out to the training area and did what he always did when his father tried to control him, he trained. He continued to push himself to the edge of his limits until he heard a noise behind him. He looked down away from him and saw Hinata watching him with big white eyes from behind a bush._

_"You may come out now," he said to her in a slightly irritated voice. The little girl peeked out slowly from behind the bush._

_"Gomen, Uchiha-sama. I-I am s-sorry…my f-father wanted m-me to go o-outside while he t-talked to y-your father," Hinata said shyly as she bowed respectfully to him._

_"Well, just don't bother or annoy me like my brother does or else you will have to leave," he replied passively giving her permission to stay._

_"Hai Uchiha-sama," she said softly and obediently went to the side and after tucking her kimono demurely under her legs, she sat down to watch him train._

_Hinata had been training since before she could walk, but she had never seen anyone train or move like he did. By the time he was done, she was more than a little awestruck. He is so amazing, even better than Neji._

_Her face began to fall the more she watched him; his brilliance made her own shortcomings become even more glaringly apparent to her._

_Watching as the sun glinted off of his long, dark hair, her admiration for him continued to grow, as she noted he looked like someone who never failed at anything. It pained her to know that she would never be able to measure up to him._

_The brilliant sight of him grew painful so she turned her eyes away from him and stared at the ground while she fidgeted nervously with the hem of her kimono. A ragged sigh escaped her as she just knew he was going to be one more person added to the growing list of all the people she had let down. It was only a matter of time, before he too, would one day see the failure she was, and dislike her as much as her clan did._

_Itachi watched as the little girl went from one emotion to the other. She really is pathetic, she is like an open book, he thought disgustedly. His mouth became tight as he decided how to deal with this unacceptable problem._

_"Hinata," Itachi said firmly as he looked at her._

_"Hai Uchiha-sama?"_

_She looked up timidly into his piercing onyx eyes and he saw something in them that reminded of him of Sasuke and the way he would look at him sometimes. It was the look of someone starved for approval and attention._

_Itachi looked away from her almost irritated; he really didn't need any more responsibility added to him. He didn't have enough time to spend with his brother as it was, with training and all of the missions he had to go on. Sometimes, he barely had time to sleep at night._

_Itachi looked back over at the solemn and timid little girl and felt pity. He knew, if he didn't help her and train her, she was probably going to get herself killed. He decided then and there as her betrothed, it was his duty to help her._

_"Tell your father that I am going to start training you, I will work out the details with him later," he offered with a resigned look in his eyes._

_She looked up stunned, "A-are y-you s-sure, I-I a-am pretty weak. My f-father t-tells me s-so all the time," she stammered as her eyes started filling up with tears._

_He put his hand impatiently under her chin and made her look up at him._

_"Hinata, do you want me to train you or not?" He asked her calmly._

_She stared up at him and felt his sharp eyes were searching hers, trying to find something in her that would show him she was worth the effort of training her._

_Her timid eyes automatically began to look toward the ground when she realized that she wanted—no, she needed him to train her. She desperately needed to prove herself to her father and her clan that she was not worthless._

_"Yes, Itachi-san, I w-want to get stronger and prove myself to my father," she replied with a look of determination in her eyes._

_Itachi stared at her for a while before he looked away from her with a just a fraction of a smile on his face._

_"Fine, I will help you."_

_At his words, Hinata gave him a shy but very happy smile. Inside she was in shock that he was going to take time to train her. She never would have expected something like that from him._

_It made her feel almost…special._

_"Arigato Uchiha-sama," she told him gratefully with her eyes looking respectfully down at the ground._

_Itachi nodded and then began finding some of his kunai knives and other gear to take home. Just before he was about to head home, he turned and looked at her almost as an afterthought._

_"Oh, and Hinata, it is just Itachi, no sama or san please, I am not so formal." Itachi told her, giving her permission to use his first name._

_"Hai I-Itachi," she said trying the name out. It felt a little odd to her because she had been rigorously trained since birth about protocol and was not used to speaking informally._

_Hinata looked over at the picnic basket next to her and picked it up. "Itachi?" she said in her quiet high-pitched little voice. "Y-your m-mother gave me this picnic basket to share with you. A-are you h-hungry?"_

_"Yes I am thank you Hinata," he said as he was already opening up the basket. He found a little blanket inside and spread it out so they could sit on it. Hinata handed him a water bottle and a bento box along with some chopsticks. They ate mostly in silence, but it wasn't awkward. Both of them were too busy eating and thinking to want to talk much. It was the start of a friendship of sorts._

Itachi had fallen asleep under the tree and during that time the sun had started to go down. Even though the temperature outside was still warm, he began to shiver. He had been travelling for a few days and he still hadn't healed from all of his wounds and was burning up with a fever.

Swaying slightly, feeling horribly weak; he picked up his gear and cautiously checked to see if he could sense anyone else's chakra in the area. Feeling relieved that there was no one else around, he looked toward the beach and saw a person with long indigo colored hair lying in a beach chair.

_Hinata._

As he walked out towards her, he noticed she didn't even know he was there. His mouth tightened in irritation as he thought about all of the time he spent training her to become more alert of her surroundings.

_You know better than to let your guard down like that Hinata, _he mentally chided her.

It didn't take him long to figure out she was sleeping when he got closer to her chair. His weak eyes were first drawn to her beautiful face. From what he could see of her he could tell that she had grown up to be lovely. He gradually let his eyes slowly drift over the rest of her. She was wearing a bikini and there wasn't much left of the little girl he remembered...she was definitely a woman now.

Hinata stirred slightly, when she sensed someone was staring at her. When she opened her eyes she immediately noticed the black background with the red clouds on his cloak and her heart began to race in fear.

_Akatsuki?_

She started to jump up to defend herself when his calm emotionless voice stopped her.

"Hinata, it's me."

At the sound of his beloved voice Hinata's head turned quickly to look at his face.

_Itachi._

"I-Itachi? Is it really you?" She asked in a breathless voice not really believing she was seeing him again after all these years. Her eyes searched his face and stared at him almost hungrily. Overwhelmed at seeing him so suddenly, she swayed a little on her feet.

Itachi reached out to steady her arm and felt a little hurt when she flinched away from him in fear.

Feeling saddened that she no longer trusted him like she used to; he sighed and backed away from her a little and looked over at her tiredly.

"Hinata, I am injured, and I need your help," he knew was sinking low by getting her involved with him, but he was desperate. He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to stand without blacking out completely.

Hinata looked at him and knew it was her duty as a shinobi to turn him into the authorities but she knew she couldn't do it. Even though he was a member of Akatsuki and an S rank criminal and slaughtered his clan, including his parents. She couldn't betray him; he was almost like family to her.

"Itachi, I will help you recover…and then you must leave. You must promise me, because unlike you, I will never betray Konoha or the people in it," she said bravely as her eyes locked with his and saw him give her a solemn nod.

Looking into his dark onyx eyes, Hinata felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest. She was beginning to notice how undeniably attractive he had become.

The squawk of a seagull sounded loud over their heads as Hinata picked up her beach bag and nervously began putting on her tank top and shorts.

"I will never hurt you, you know," he stated in quiet voice.

Hinata melted as she recognized his tone of voice. It was the voice that he only used with her and no one else.

"I-I know," she replied simply knowing that she believed him. Itachi was nothing, if not a man of honor; if he gave her his word, she knew he would keep it.

Itachi nodded and began to follow her towards the small house.

As they were nearing the house, Itachi began to sway a little. His body hurt all over and he felt so weak, but he did not want her to see it. _Just a few more steps_ he told himself and they would be inside. Hinata was too caught up in her racing thoughts to notice how slowly Itachi was walking.

As they approached the covered porch, she turned to him. "Are you hungry?"

Her eyes got a good look at him and they opened up wide in alarm when she noticed he was sweating and he looked like he was going to pass out at any moment. Hinata put her hand underneath his arm and tried to help him into the house.

He wanted to shake off her help, but he didn't think he could make up the steps without her. _Damn it__, I am so weak, h_e complained to himself.

She looked at him with concern, especially when she noticed he was burning up with a fever.

"Itachi, let me help you," Hinata asked gently as she helped him up the steps into the house.

Somehow she was able to get him into the guest bedroom. Using the last of his strength he lowered himself on the bed just before he completely blacked out.

Hinata looked at him worriedly and quickly activated her Byakugan to look at his chakra levels and noticed he was dangerously low.

She applied chakra to her hands and using her Byakugan she began the tedious work of transferring some of her chakra to him. When she was done, she peeled away his black Akatsuki robe and threw it on the floor. He was wearing black clothes underneath and had several weapons concealed under his clothing. As she looked at the small pile of weapons she smiled slightly as she thought he was still the same as he used to be—always prepared for any situation.

After she finished undressing him (she left his shorts on) she went to the bathroom to get some wet wash cloths and antiseptic, because not only was he feverish but he had several small wounds on him.

A frown began to form on her face as cleaned him up and healed his wounds as she noticed how thin and pale he was. His condition was anomalous for a shinobi of his caliber who at his age should be at the peak of his conditioning. She began to wonder how long he had been sick.

Hinata's face began to grow warm as she couldn't help but notice, because, while he may be a little thin and pale; his body was lean and muscular and altogether sublimely beautiful.

Shaking her head at her foolishness, she forced herself to look at him in a professional manner, like she had been trained to do. She leaned over and listened to his breathing and began to frown when she heard the sounds of wheezing coming from his airways.

After examining him with her trained medical eyes she started to detect signs of some other illness.

_Itachi, what is going on with you_, she thought worriedly and a feeling of dread began to come over her.

She decided to use her bloodline limit to get a closer look at his chakra system; because she doubted when he was awake he would let her have this kind of access to him.

"Byakugan," she said as she formed the hand signs.

The veins started swelling around her eyes and tears began filling her eyes as she saw the mess his chakra system was in. It was starting to deteriorate in some areas and she could see some foreign black cancer-like substance in his lungs.

_What could it mean? Has he been poisoned? _She thought while she was to feel panic building in her chest.

It was shocking for her to see him like this; while she was growing up she had always considered him to be almost indestructible. _How could this happen to him?_

"Okay, focus Hinata," she said anxiously as she tried to pull herself together.

As she tried to focus her Byakugan even finer, she looked at the chakra coils around his eyes and saw how swollen and damaged the blood vessels and chakra coils were. She had read about the Mangekyo Sharingan and the damage it does to the eyes.

_Itachi, you must be almost blind! _she thought feeling horrified.

Thankfully, she knew she could help restore his vision. Her father taught her years ago how to repair chakra damage to the eyes and how to maintain her vision.

She gathered chakra to her hands and started blocking all of his tenketsu, especially the ones around his eyes. It wouldn't do for him to wake up and try to use his Sharingan. He would need to relax for some time before he will be able to use any doujutsu, but at least he will be able to see again.

After she was done repairing his eyes, she was completely exhausted. The damage was quite extensive and it required a large amount of concentration and chakra to repair the coils. She took another quick look with her Byakugan and was satisfied that he would be able to see again with nearly perfect vision.

Hinata knew she would have to wait until he woke up to ask him about his other illness. She wasn't looking forward to that conversation, not only was she fearful about what he would reveal, but she also knows getting him to talk about himself is about as fun as having a tooth pulled.

After placing her hand on his forehead to see if he still had a fever, she was pleased to see his temperature was normal and the medication she gave him was working. Walking around the bed she laid down next to him to take a quick nap. She was too exhausted to go to her room and she wanted to be near him if he needed something. Almost as soon as her head hit the pillow she fell immediately asleep.

* * *

A few hours later, Itachi awoke instantly alert. After being in Akatsuki for so long, he learned to never fully relax his guard. Looking around he noticed that it was night-time. He turned slightly towards the wall and saw in the dimly lit room Hinata's long blue-black hair on the pillow next to his. He immediately relaxed when he remembered where he was.

_There is no danger here,_ he thought to himself_._

He noticed as he tried to roll over, he was having trouble moving his body. Hinata must have blocked my tenketsu. _Hmm, I guess she still doesn't trust me,_ he thought sadly but a part of him approved her lack of trust of him.

Hinata felt him stir next to her and slowly started to blush as she saw how close she was to him on the bed. She turned toward him and moved his hair out of his eyes when she saw he was awake.

"How are you feeling?" she asked gently touching his face to see if his fever returned. Her eyes darkened with worry when she felt he was warm again.

She was beginning to get up from the bed when he asked her in a scratchy voice for some water. While she was going to get his water and some more medicine he asked her.

"Why did you block my tenketsu? I promised I wouldn't hurt you."

Hinata came over to the bed with his water and medicine and set it on the nightstand.

"I know," she said as she looked at him solemnly. "I didn't block your chakra because I am afraid of you. I did it because…" she stopped when she heard him begin to cough.

"Gomen Itachi, we will talk more when you are feeling better," she told him as she put her arms behind his pillow and helped him drink some water and take his medicine. As she lowered him down, he closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.

Hinata watched him sleep awhile before she went into the bathroom and wet a wash cloth down with cold water and placed it on his forehead. She had a feeling she was in for a long night.

Edited: 5/3/13

**Author's Note:** I have been wanting to rewrite this story for a long time. It was my first story and I always thought I rushed their relationship a bit and there are a lot of grammar errors as well as formatting problems that I have been wanting to fix. I am going to delete the old story and begin reposting the rewritten one every other day or so. When I get done with this one I am going to fix part II. I hope all of you like the changes I have made. Happy New Years!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Author's Note: **Happy New Years to all of you! I hope you like the changes I made this chapter.

* * *

Hinata had a long night as she spent most of her time trying to break Itachi's fever. It was so high she was afraid if it didn't come down he would start having convulsions. After she had stripped down most of his clothes she kept applying wet cloths to him and bathing his forehead with cold water.

Throughout the night, as she took care of him, the old feelings she had for him, began to resurface. She felt helpless to stop them from coming back to her because of what he had meant to her in the past. He had been so many things to her… friend, sensei…future husband. In her life, there had been no one she had admired more than him, not even Naruto.

As she gently pushed his hair back from his forehead a soft smile came to her face as she remembered the ridiculous lengths she would go to just to earn a smile from him or his approval. Back then his friendship was everything to her…

_She remembered back when they were children and all of the time Itachi spent (wasted) trying to teach her how to hide her emotions. After living with her father and dealing with the clan's expectations of what they thought a strong heiress should be, she just couldn't act like they did. No matter how hard she tried she was never good enough for them. To her, it seemed no one understood her, except for him._

_Itachi did more than just understand her…he helped her. He was one of the few people who knew what it was like to live in the epi-center of clan politics and have the focus of an entire clan directed upon him. He taught her how to deal with their expectations, without allowing them to destroy her._

_True to his word he began to train her. They would meet about once a week and she learned what real fear was. He was an efficiently brutal taskmaster who demanded everything she had from those sessions. He would not allow her to hold back and seemed to know just how far he could push her without killing her. Yet, he was very fair with her and always told her the truth. Eventually she learned to trust him and under his tutelage she began to learn to stand on her own a little._

_After Itachi was promoted to ANBU, she didn't get to see him all that much. He was always training or out on missions. Hinata was also very busy with training and preparation for the academy. She also had special lessons in household management to prepare her for when she became the head of the clan. Her father usually was in charge of those and she hated them. He had very little patience with her and the smallest mistake from her would usually result in a long lecture or punishment from him._

_One day, after a particularly awful lesson with her father, where he berated her for most of the session. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. She knew if she cried in front of him her punishment and the lecture would last longer...much longer._

_After her father had released her from his office, Hinata ran to her room and put on her training gear. She knew she had to get away from this place or she would explode._

_Hinata ran to their spot, it was a secret and very remote training ground that only they used. Most of the time they avoided being seen together in public because their betrothal was only known to certain family members._

_Activating her Byakugan, she scanned the area for him and was disappointed when he was nowhere to be seen. _

_He's probably out on a mission or something, she thought to herself sadly._

_Shrugging her shoulders, she figured she might as well this time to train; besides she had a lot of frustration to work out. She began practicing the taijutsu Itachi had taught her and kicking the stump in front of her._

_As she kicked it, visions of her father's harsh face as he corrected her began to appear before her and she could hear his disappointment in her with every word he spoke. Feelings of inadequacy began to wash over her as she thought of how hard she worked. She knew she had improved… so why couldn't he see it?_

_Angrily kicking the post even harder, she unwisely ignored the shooting pain that ran up her leg._

_Why do you hate me so much father? Her mind cried in pain as she longed for his approval._

_She kicked the post over and over until she could no longer ignore the pain in her foot and hot tears began to pour out of her eyes._

_Why can't I be like the rest of my family? Even my little sister acts more like a Hyuuga than I do… why am I so different? Her mind recycled over and over painfully inside her head before she fell on the ground, a torrent of tears flooded down her cheeks._

_All of her failures and shortcomings entered her mind, causing her to lean forward and bury her face in her hands as she sobbed bitterly. She just felt so worthless and wondered why Itachi even bothered to help her—she certainly didn't deserve it._

_At the mere mention of his name, she immediately stopped crying and looked around nervously. She knew if he saw her acting like this he would become very upset at her. He did not allow her to feel sorry for herself when he was around her. He considered such emotions to be unproductive and usually would put her through "special training" whenever he saw her acting that way._

_Hinata shuddered miserably at the thought of those sessions. They usually involved dodging sharp objects and explosions that would come at her almost all at once. She definitely was not up to that... she had had enough pain and misery for one day._

_After wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Hinata noticed suddenly how dark it was starting to become outside. And the shadows from the trees all around her and the sheer remoteness of the place was making her feel a little scared and jumpy. Her heart sank in her chest when she realized how foolishly vulnerable she had made herself by coming out here so late in the day—all alone._

_Taking a deep breath as if she were preparing herself for something really painful, she gingerly tried to stand on her injured foot. As she set her foot on the ground, sharp pains began to shoot up her leg and tears of frustration welled up in her eyes at her stupidity of injuring it in the first place._

_Her throat swallowed hard as she figured out her options. She could either try to walk home or wait here until her father sent someone out to come look for her. A grim shudder went through her as she thought about the lecture she would receive from her father if he had to come looking for her._

_After taking a raggedly painful breath, she realized she had no choice but to try to get home on her own._

_She was just about to start the long trek home when she heard a twig break behind her. Startled, she activated her Byakugan and carefully scanned the area._

_When she didn't see anyone she began to get really scared._

_"I-Itachi, is that you?" she said in a timid little voice. Her body tensed up as she prepared to defend herself if necessary._

_She activated her bloodline limit again and this time she was able to see who it was. She knew she only was able to find him, because he allowed her to._

_"Itachi, I can see you… please come out," she called out to him in a relieved voice._

_"Hinata, are you done crying? Because if you aren't, I am going to leave and you will have to walk home by yourself," he stated firmly._

_Oh no, he saw me crying, today is just not my day, she thought miserably. "I-Itachi, I promise I won't cry anymore… p-please come down from the tree."_

_Itachi looked down at her from the branch he was sitting on and just barely repressed the urge to roll his eyes at her. If his brother did something stupid like she just did, then he would have been all over him._

_He was beginning to wonder why he bothered to keep training her, since he obviously wasn't getting through to her._

_A sigh escaped him, as he was unable to resist the pull she had on him as she stared up at him so pathetically. He knew deep down would do just about anything for her. Ever since he met her, he just wanted to protect her and keep her safe._

_Hinata watched as he silently jumped from the tree. His eyes clearly told her what he thought about the foolishness of her actions._

_At the censure in his eyes, Hinata hung her head and apologized. "I'm s-sorry I-Itachi," she choked out standing still as a statue. She really hated it when he was mad at her._

_Her eyes opened wide in surprise when her dark-haired friend awkwardly put his arms around her. And after a small hug he kneeled down and gruffly told her to get on his back._

_Hinata, starved for human contact, latched onto him like he was a lifeline as he carried her home. While he was carrying her, he had been planning to lecture her but decided she had been through enough. Besides he noticed she had fallen asleep about half way to her compound. When he came to the gate he asked one of the branch members to come and heal her ankle and gently handed her off to him._

* * *

_That night he went on another mission. His missions kept getting more difficult and he stopped training with her almost altogether. They would only see each other when they would attend boring clan functions or see each other around town._

_Every time Hinata would see his face it appeared to be more guarded and he had dark circles under his eyes. _

_Itachi, what is happening to you? She thought miserably. Though she knew something was bothering him, she had no idea how to help him._

_A few weeks after she had started the academy, he met her after school. The other kids looked at him in wonder when they saw him at the school. He was a legend at the Academy and everyone around Konoha knew who he was. Hinata was secretly proud because he belonged to her._

_"Itachi, why are you here?" she asked him calmly as she hid her excitement at him coming to see her._

_"Hinata, please walk with me? I need to talk to you about something," he asked her in a calm emotionless voice as his dark eyes quietly memorized her face. He was here to tell her goodbye._

_He was a teenager and tall, she was only eight and short. She needed to look up to see his eyes._

_"Hai, we can walk by the river and talk there."_

_Hinata looked over at him worriedly as her fingers played nervously with the hem of her shirt. He never sought me out after school before, what is going on? Her mind was racing, why does he look so troubled and worried?_

_When they arrived at the river, she looked up at him questioningly. She knew he would tell her in his own time, she just needed to be patient._

_She didn't need to wait long. They sat down on a bench and he looked into her eyes. Her large white eyes opened wide with surprise at the bleak look he gave her. Something was very, very wrong with her friend and she was beginning to feel terrified for him._

_Itachi, please let me help you? She thought helplessly. All of a sudden it hit her and she knew what was happening...he was leaving her and had come to say goodbye._

_Hinata felt robbed of the ability to breathe as the thought suffocated her._

_She looked up at him across from her on the bench as the sunlight touched his hair and prayed with everything in her that it wasn't true. Out of everyone in the world, he was the person she cared for the most and he was leaving her._

_"You have to leave don't you?" she asked quietly, keeping her eyes straight in front of her, as she desperately tried to contain her emotions. Her fingers gripped tightly the bench she was sitting on._

_"Yes."_

_As his reply confirmed her worst fears about him, she wrapped her arms tightly around her stomach and waited nervously for him to give her more details. She sighed knowing he would not give her an explanation she turned to him and saw he was looking at her solemnly._

_"Hinata, I release you from our betrothal contract, I will no longer be able to honor it...I am sorry."_

_Hinata sat next to him too stunned to talk as his words sunk in. She had figured out he was leaving her but she never expected him to ask her to release him from his obligation to her. She was completely confused by his behavior, it did not make sense to her. Even though they never spoke of their engagement, there existed between them a sort of quiet acceptance that they would one day be wed._

_She still was too young to understand what the whole marriage thing was all about but she always felt comforted by the fact that she was going to marry him._

_The knowledge that she would one day be his wife was one of the few constancies she had in her life. Now she was left with nothing._

_Looking over at him she couldn't stop herself from asking…_

_"Why?"_

_Itachi looked away from her and refused to answer her._

_At his lack of a response, tears silently drifted down her face as she looked at him and sought to learn the reason why he was doing this to her._

_She knew it wasn't because he didn't care for her—because deep down she knew he did. Even with the differences in their ages, she knew he was her friend. It had to be something else, she reasoned. But what could it be?_

_Repressing a deep breath, Itachi glanced over at his young friend and hated that he had to cause her pain._

_Itachi had secretly said goodbye to some others that he knew today, but Hinata was by far the hardest. She was the only one who had figured out what he was doing. He realized he had to be careful not to alert her to anything else as he stood up to leave._

_Even though the sacrifice he was making for his village was enormous, he knew it was the right one. It had to be done. He looked down at her one last time and gave her a swift almost perfunctory hug._

_"Goodbye Hinata," he said softly as he turned to leave._

_"Wait," she cried helplessly. "I will wait for you!"_

_He shook his head no. "I am sorry Hinata, I cannot be there for you anymore…you must learn to stand on your own," he said, his face was grave as he walked away._

_Hinata overcome with grief fell on the ground and wept. Itachi, in the distance heard her crying, closed his eyes for a moment and kept on walking._

_The next day, when she went to school she heard the news. The Uchiha clan was destroyed, all except for Sasuke and her beloved friend and sensei was the one who did it. Itachi was now declared a missing nin and could never return home. All the blood drained from her face and she fainted._

_Hinata's heart still hurts when she thinks of that day. She had too many unanswered questions about him, especially why he did it._

_Her life and future changed irrevocably on that day. Hinata realized painfully she had to grow up and she had to do it alone. She worked herself like a maniac and tried to find something to make life worth living again. Over the years she made some friends and even had a small crush on Naruto._

_But she never let anyone in, like she did Itachi. Even after what he did, she still had a place in her heart that belonged only to him._

Watching as he slept and looked so peaceful, Hinata was unable to resist her need to touch him. As she traced the elegant lines of his face and his firm jaw, it was beginning to be abundantly clear to her that it wasn't friendship she wanted from him.

She sighed and silently berated herself for allowing those kind of thoughts to enter her brain. What was she thinking? He's a criminal and a murderer.

Hinata closed eyes painfully as she silently agreed with those truths about him. On the other hand though, he is Itachi…her friend. Someone who, when she was younger had always been there for her. Now it was her turn to return the favor…

**Author's Note: **Thanks so much for reading. I have been wanting to rewrite some of the scenes in this story for a long time and can't wait to get it all done. Please leave me some feedback, I would really appreciate it:]

**5/9/13:** Thanks to the guest that pointed out a few problems, I did my best to fix them, thanks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Hinata woke up early in the morning; she wanted to go into town to buy some supplies before Itachi woke up. Climbing off the bed carefully so she wouldn't wake him up, she glanced over at him as he slept. Standing next to him for a moment she listened to his breathing and looked concerned as she heard him wheeze slightly. Laying her hand gently on his forehead she relaxed when she realized his fever had broken. He was still far from well, but she knew at least for now he was out of danger.

After she cleaned herself up she went out to the kitchen to start making a list of supplies she would need for the day. She had also noticed the deplorable condition of his clothes, from the last mission he was on so she decided to go buy him some new ones. Her father had some clothes he left here for when he visits, but they were mainly light colors and she knew Itachi favored dark clothing.

After she finished her list, she grabbed a piece of fruit for breakfast and headed out the door. After stepping out onto the covered porch she breathed in deeply the fresh morning air and started down the path into town. The town was only a mile away but it was of decent size and had many different stores and vendors to choose from.

Feeling relaxed, Hinata strolled from booth to booth until she found everything on her list. She even found herself a lovely pair of sunglasses to cover her eyes so she was less recognizable. She would need to be careful to not draw attention to herself, considering who was staying at her house.

As Hinata walked home she planned out lunch in her mind.

_I wonder if he still eats like he used to, _she chuckled a little bit when she remembered how she used to tease him about his appetite. Itachi used to be continually hungry when they were younger; she would always have to bring an extra large bento box for him every time he trained her. He was always so thin she never could figure out where he put it all.

As she walked down the path, memories of happier times from her childhood began to flood her mind. Smiling to herself, she remembered the two of them eating dango after training, and the way she would feel when she was able to make him smile.

Hinata closed her eyes as she remembered the first time she saw him smile; she had been so stunned she had almost forgotten to breathe. Her eyes stared out softly unfocused towards the ocean as she thought about him back then. He was so beautiful to her when he smiled. It was like… she was seeing the sun for the first time. There was simply nothing she could compare it to.

Thinking about how she felt about him back then made her heart flutter nervously. She had adored him from the moment she met him. Back then he could do no wrong in her eyes and like everyone else in Konoha, she had been blinded by the sheer brilliance of his genius and his incredible abilities. It nearly crushed her to find he had feet of clay like any other person and that he was capable of such an evil act.

Yet her mind still rebelled about thinking he was evil, maybe after all these years she was still blinded by her feelings for him, but she just couldn't call him evil. She just knew in her heart he wasn't. _If he was, he never would have helped me,_ she rationalized in her mind.

Not only that, during their time together, almost from the very beginning she felt there had been an affinity between them, that she had never felt with anyone else. It was as if they just understood each other. That affinity with him allowed her to see small glimpses of the person behind the genius. She knew deep down he had been a very dedicated ninja, who abhorred killing and deeply loved his village.

Looking up she saw she was close to the beach house, she realized she may never learn the truth about him, but she knew enough...because she knew him.

* * *

After returning home, Hinata put away all of the food she bought and went in to check on him. Her face softened when she saw he was still sleeping. She was finding it hard remembering who he was when she was near him. All she could see was someone who was very, very dear to her and he needed her help.

Her eyes darkened with worry just thinking about the horrible condition his chakra was in and that black substance in his lungs. Whatever illness he had looked to be terminal and that was not something she was willing to accept. Not for him, he was too young to die.

Staring down at him on the bed she thought of how she could help him. It occurred to her she could try to repair his chakra network and strengthen it. Her mouth tightened in determination as she applied chakra to her hands and got to work.

After she finished healing some of his chakra network, she went out to the kitchen to start making lunch. After using up so much of her chakra she was starving and she hoped when he woke up, he would be too.

Unable to remember what soup he liked, she made two different kinds. One of them was a miso broth and the other was chicken soup with vegetables.

_I hope he will be able to eat when he wakes up, he looks like he hasn't eaten for awhile_, she worried. Next she took out a pan and started boiling water to make the rice.

It wasn't necessary for her to make any rolls, because she was able to buy some at the market. She helped herself to one, because they looked so good. She was getting ready to put a salad together when she heard a noise coming from the guest bedroom.

_I had better go check on him_, she thought to herself as she turned off the stove and walked into the guest room.

Itachi had woken up when he heard Hinata working in the kitchen. Tantalizing smells wafted from the kitchen reminding him he hadn't eaten in a while. Suddenly, he felt very hungry.

As he woke up more, he noticed felt a little better, except for the blinding headache he had. He was used to having headaches, because of his Sharingan, but he had never felt one like this one. His eyes felt different too—less strained, strange.

_What did she do to my eyes and why did she block my Sharingan_? He thought nervously. He noticed he could move the rest of his body as the rest of his chakra points were no longer blocked.

Like an old man he slowly started to get up to try to make his way to the bathroom. When he opened his eyes he noticed how bright the sun was. He quickly closed them and covered them up with his hand.

_Am I imagining things or can I see better_? He thought with a frown. He opened his eyes again and allowed them to slowly get used to the light.

He was amazed; he hadn't been able to see this well in several years. He could actually see the room he was in along with the colors of the furnishings. He didn't think he would ever get his sight back and had been told there was only one way to have his vision healed and that was to steal the eyes of his brother, Sasuke.

"That bastard lied to me!" he swore out under his breath. _It looks like you lose on this one Madara_, he thought with a grim smirk.

Then another thought came to him, "Hinata," he said out loud. He had no idea she had this kind of ability.

Itachi stepped into bathroom and could see it was a large room with a huge marble tub and a large walk-in shower. He noticed Hinata had put his small kit that had his toothbrush and other things on the counter.

After taking care of his needs, he stripped off his boxers and turned on the water in the shower. The water felt wonderful and it was helping his headache too. While he was still in the shower he heard Hinata knock on the door.

"Itachi?" she asked in a tentative voice.

"Yes," he replied.

"I bought some new clothes for you, I will put them on the counter for you," he heard her say through the door. She opened the door and hurriedly put them on the counter; all the while keeping her eyes carefully focused on the ground and closed the door quickly behind her.

Her shyness brought a slight smile to his face.

After he finished getting dressed he slowly made his way out to the kitchen. He still felt very weak, but at least after all of the rest he had his chakra reserves were no longer low. Hinata had also given him medicine that broke his fever.

He still had a headache, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He looked around and marveled at the fact that he could see everything. He still couldn't believe it. After living in semi-darkness for the last few years it didn't seem real.

_I will need to find some way to repay her,_ he thought to himself. When he got to the kitchen door he saw Hinata, with her back to him, stirring a pan on the stove.

He stood there entranced as he noticed her long, glossy, indigo colored hair. His eyes drank in the sight of her; she had truly grown up to become a beauty. When she turned around and he could see her face he found himself reluctantly becoming entranced by her.

She turned around to get something off of the counter and she noticed him in the doorway staring at her.

She started to blush and looked away from him uncomfortably. Her heartbeat was beginning to accelerate strangely at the way he kept looking at her.

With an effort, Hinata pulled her disordered senses together enough to greet him. "Good Afternoon Itachi," she said in breathlessly cheerful voice.

He nodded somewhat aloofly and walked over to take a seat on a stool by the kitchen counter where she was working.

His dark eyes stared at her with a pensive and grateful before he looked away from her.

"Hinata, thank you," he said in his quiet voice.

"You're welcome," she said softly as warmth flooded her cheeks.

"I was not sure if you would be angry with me for healing your eyes without your permission… I just wanted to help you so badly," she admitted to him nervous that he would be upset at her.

Looking down at the ground she added almost as an afterthought to herself.

"If my father knew I used our family Jutsu to help an outsider he would kill me."

Distracted by her thoughts of her father, she didn't notice that he had moved behind her. She squeaked a little in surprise when she felt two strong arms come around her waist.

"Hinata, I am very grateful for your kindness,' he said softly in her ear as she felt his chest along her back.

She was not used to people touching her, but when he did it, it just felt right. She leaned into him for a minute and just savored the contact with him. Being around him was just so restful.

His contact with her only lasted a moment before he released her and went to sit down again at the table. She cleared her throat a little before asking him how he felt.

"I feel a lot better than I did yesterday," he said as he looked up at her.

Hinata blushed as she felt his dark eyes upon her watching her, it made her feel flustered.

"Itachi, would you like some lunch?" she asked a little breathlessly as she made herself busy in the kitchen.

"Yes," he said as he turned away from her and stared moodily out the window. It was becoming stunningly apparent to him that they were both very attracted to each other. He frowned as he decided that he was not going to allow himself to get involved with her like that. After her kindness to him, there was no way he could repay her in such a way. Besides her getting involved with him was just too dangerous.

His lips drew into a taut line, as he watched her as she gracefully made lunch for him and began plating up his food. As she moved closer to him he smelled the scent of flowers and lavender on her hair and heard the slight catch in her breath as she set his food in front of him. He took a deep breath as he felt her presence close to him was stirring feelings in him that were both protective and possessive.

"Thank you Hinata," he told her in a coolly detached voice.

Feeling an odd tension in the room, Hinata replied quietly. "You're welcome. Just let me know if you want any more, there is plenty."

Itachi nodded and continued to eat quietly.

Hinata frowned as she dished herself up and sat at the table next to him. The mood at the table had plummeted and it was uncomfortably silent as they ate their food.

Unable to stand the silence any longer, she looked over at him as she remembered something important she had wanted to tell him earlier.

"Itachi?"

Detached black eyes looked at her making her feel even more uncomfortable.

She looked down at her food, feeling confused about the way he was acting. Ignoring the butterflies in her stomach she pressed on.

"Um…the reason I blocked your tenketsu was so you would not use your Sharingan. It is important that you do not activate your eyes for at least a week, they are still not completely healed and it will take time for the rest of your vision to come back," she explained to him quietly.

_Ah…so that is why she did it_. He thought to himself realizing it wasn't because she didn't trust him, reluctantly the knowledge made him feel better.

"Thank you Hinata, I will do as you say and not use my Sharingan," he told her calmly as he relaxed slightly.

Hinata took a small relieved breath as she saw some of the tension begin to drain out of him. She began eating again and tried to think of some way she could help him. An idea came to her and she looked over at him.

"Um, Itachi, if you want, I can teach you some ways to maintain your vision and share some of the jutsu with you. You will not be able to learn all of it, because it requires the Byakugan in order to see the chakra coils behind your eyes," she explained somewhat cautiously, trying to determine his mood.

Her heart began to speed up when she saw his mouth turn up slightly and his eyes became less distant as he looked at her.

"I would like that, and I have something for you too," he said quietly as if he made up his mind about something.

"I do not have enough chakra to give it to you now, but when I am feeling better I will."

Curious, Hinata's eyebrows lifted a little when he said this.

"Can you give me a little hint or are you going to make me wait?" She asked him with a little laugh.

Seeing that she still liked to receive surprises brought a smile to his mind as he thought how she was still the same as she used to be.

"I think you know the answer to that."

Seeing him answer her just like he used to whenever she was impatient made her feel nostalgic and long for the uncomplicated relationship they had in the past. She watched as he calmly picked up his dishes and walked over to the sink and put them in it.

"I've missed you," she told him softly, unable to stop the words from coming out.

He stood still for a moment before turning around, his knowing gaze lingering on her face. In a voice so low she could barely hear the words; he said somberly, his eyes sad. "I know Hinata...I'm sorry."

Edited: 5/3/13


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Hoshigaki Kisame made a few hand signs and slammed his hand against the face of the cliff to reveal the entrance to the base. His body sagged with fatigue from travelling and he was looking forward to eating a hot meal and a long soak in the hot springs tonight. Unfortunately he knew that would probably have to wait until he checked in with Leader. He was worried about Itachi and didn't want Pain to become suspicious and start searching for him.

He knew that Itachi was very ill, probably even close to death. Itachi had tried to hide the truth from him, but over time his illness had become obvious to him. Kisame cared about his partner like a brother and would do what he could to look after him. After all, Itachi had saved his skin on numerous occasions; he might as well return the favor. He just hoped whoever the Uchiha was staying with was trustworthy.

Kisame walked down the hallway to Pain's office and he saw Konan outside the door. Everyone knew that if they wanted to see Pain they would have to go through her.

"Hello Konan, I would like to report on the status of our mission," he requested respectfully.

"Kisame, welcome home, I will see if he is available to see you," she said with not even a glimmer of a smile as she opened the door and went in.

"Pain?... Kisame is here to see you. He wishes to report on the status of his mission," she informed him.

"Tell him he may enter and shut the door," Pain commanded her.

"Leader-sama" Kisame said respectfully as he bowed before Pain.

Pain looked pointedly over at the space next to Kisame with rising suspicion and asked, "Where is Itachi? Why isn't he here with you?"

Thinking irritably how Itachi owed him for dealing with this on his own, Kisame remained calm and replied, "Leader-sama, I have reason to believe that Itachi is very ill. He became sick with a fever a few days ago while we were travelling through the fire country and requested some time off to recover. I know his location and will find him if he doesn't contact us or return within a few weeks."

Pain turned and looked out window for a moment as he absorbed the information about Itachi. With his back still turned away from Kisame he asked.

"Hmm….are you sure he can be trusted Kisame?"

"I believe he can, Leader-sama, however, if he betrays us I will see that he is dealt with," he lied with a sinister look in his cold shark eyes.

Pain nodded grimly accepting his answer. "Now tell me about your mission?"

Kisame started explaining the details of their mission and when Pain finally released him Kisame felt relief flood through him, he thought for a moment he was going to have to hunt down Itachi and bring him back immediately. He sure didn't want to be the one to do it, for that would be like dragging a tiger by the tail.

_At least I bought him some time, I don't want to end up with Zetsu or Tobi as my partner,_ he thought with a shudder.

* * *

Itachi stretched wearily before lying down to take a nap. As he closed his eyes he thought he might as well take advantage of the time off to rest. His body was exhausted from the endless demands he made on it. It seemed there was always something that needed to be taken care of or a mission to go on. The chance to just sleep was a much needed and welcome break for him.

Besides sleeping kept him away from a certain indigo haired female who was in his thoughts far too much. A mental picture of how she looked in her bikini came to his mind just before he fell asleep.

Hinata decided to take a walk along the beach. She went to her room to put on her bikini and put some shorts over it. She loved the sun and wanted to work on her suntan. Her skin was always so pale from wearing her jacket all the time. When she wasn't out on missions she usually had to work indoors at the hospital with patients and didn't get to work in her garden or be outside very often, and she missed it a great deal.

As she laid her stuff on the lounge chair, she noticed how soothing the sound of the ocean was.

_I am so glad I was able to come here_, she thought peacefully.

"Besides, if I hadn't come here I probably would have never seen _him_ again," she mused out loud to herself, with a slight blush. She couldn't help but feel attracted to him and it was making her nervous. Even so, she wouldn't have missed seeing him again for anything.

She knew this time together was going to be short and that eventually he would have leave to go back to Akatsuki and she would have to go back home to her father.

Her heart was filled with dread having to go back to the stifling atmosphere of her home, where everyone watched her every move. She knew this little vacation will not be without a price, as her father probably has something horrible planned for her when she returns.

_At least I have 3 more weeks before I have to return home, I am going to make the most of it, s_he thought to herself feeling optimistic as she stepped out into the water.

After she was done playing and swimming in the ocean, Hinata decided to go check on Itachi and see how he was doing. She figured he could use some more medicine, and she was also hoping he would open up a little and tell her what was going on with him.

If he didn't tell her soon, she would be forced to ask and a shudder passed over her at the thought.

_He is such a private person, even I do not know much about him_, she thought gloomily as she walked into his room. Laying her hand gently on his forehead to see if his fever had returned, she breathed out in relief when she noted his temperature was fine, but his breathing was still a bit raspy.

Her eyes grew increasingly worried as she listened to him breathe, and knew if he didn't do something about it soon, he was probably going to die soon.

Her eyes closed in pain at the thought. _Please Itachi, let me help you, I don't want you to die_.

With a frustrated sigh, she knew there wasn't anything she could do until he told her what was wrong with him. Her eyes scanned over his beloved face one more time before she put his medicine on the table for when he woke up, and left the room to start dinner.

Opening up the fridge and taking out the chicken soup she made yesterday she started heating it up. Then she started cutting up some vegetables, mushrooms and shrimp to put in some yakisoba noodles. Soon the sizzling smell of stir fried vegetables began to permeate the room whetting her appetite. She was almost ravenously hungry after being outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

When it was all done, she set the table and turned off the stove. Then, she walked quietly into Itachi's room and stood over by the bed, as soon as she reached out to wake him; he pulled out a kunai from under the pillow and shoved it against her stomach. Hinata jumped back startled.

"Hinata, do not sneak up on me like that," he warned her coldly.

He put the kunai back under the pillow and looked at her slightly apologetically.

"I'm sorry... I only wanted to wake you up for dinner," she said quietly as she put her hand over her still racing heart.

"I-if you are not hungry… you can always eat later if you want. I am sorry for disturbing you," she said nervously as she backed towards the door. She turned around and hurried back to the kitchen.

A few minutes later Itachi followed her out to the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"Itachi, I left some medicine on your nightstand," she said warily without making eye contact with him.

"Hai, I found it already, and took some," he said quietly and his eyes began to watch her closely, liking what he was seeing.

_She looks scared of me again,_ he thought to himself. _Good, maybe she will keep her distance and understand that getting involved with me is suicidal. _

"Um…Itachi, I-I thought after dinner I could show you the hot tub and the pool out in the back yard. The hot water might be good for you to soak in," she said shyly as she looked at her plate.

"My father has some swimming trunks you can wear," she continued softly.

"I'll think about it."

Hinata was puzzled by his behavior. He was acting like he was mad at her and she couldn't understand why.

_Did I do something wrong__? _She fretted as she twirled her yakisoba noodles almost aimlessly with her chopsticks. Lifting her eyes slightly she stole a glance at him across the table. He felt her eyes on him and looked back at her. She quickly glanced down at her plate.

_What is wrong with me tonight, I feel so uncomfortable around him,_ she thought nervously. No longer hungry she stood up and picked up her plate and other dishes and put them in the sink.

"Itachi? There is more food on the stove if you are still hungry. I am going to go soak in the hot tub if you need anything," Hinata told him before opening the back door to go outside.

"Okay."

Once out on the back patio, she set down her towel and began almost listlessly removing her shorts. Her eyes were cloudy like she was deep in thought as she stepped into the warm and soothing water of the hot tub. Leaning back against the side she closed her eyes and slid deeper into the water and tried to force herself to relax. It was hard though, because her mind was racing and she felt wound up tight as a drum.

Hinata's eyes shot open when she heard the back door open. Itachi came out wearing her father's shorts and had turned away from her as he set his towel down on a chair.

Unable to stop it from happening she felt herself blush when she saw how amazing he looked. Her admiring gaze ran over his bare chest and muscles that were beautifully sculpted and toned from all the physical training he did. And even though he had been ill for a while and was pale, there was nothing soft about him. In her eyes his body was sleek, pale and absolutely perfect. Her heart began to race knowing she was very attracted to him and she knew she shouldn't be.

Hinata forced herself to close her eyes and hoped that he hadn't seen her staring at him. Her heart began to race when she felt him come into the water and shifted herself to the other side of the hot tub away from him.

She squeaked a little when she felt his strong arms reach over her shoulders as his body pinned her to the edge of the tub. His lips softly brushed hers, before he ruthlessly pushed himself against her as his kiss became more demanding. Her eyes opened in shock and she found herself staring into his hard dark eyes.

"Is this what you wanted to happen between us, Hinata?" he asked in a coldly emotionless voice.

She lowered her head in shame, "I am sorry, I shouldn't have...stared at you... like that."

He moved away from her a little and put his hand under her chin and gently forced her to look at him.

"You cannot get involved with me Hinata," he said quietly.

"I know," she whispered. "I just can't seem to help myself," she confessed shyly.

"I've always wanted you," Hinata admitted in a soft voice as she bravely lifted her eyes to meet his. Inside she felt like crying for telling him her darkest secret.

"No," he said tightly as he shook his head and looked at her with absolute eyes. "I will be leaving in a few days and that will be the end of it. I will not see you get hurt. My being here is already putting you in danger."

She nodded mutely letting him know she understood, because she couldn't trust her voice and stood up and walked up the steps out of the tub.

Itachi watched as she quickly grabbed her towel and ran into the house. He sank down further into the water and let out a long sigh. As long as he was able to keep her safe, that was all that mattered to him.

* * *

Hinata ran into her room and took off her wet bathing suit and stepped into the shower. Tears were running down her face and she jerkily swiped them away with her hand. _I know he is right; there can be no future between us, so why does it hurt so much?_ She thought sadly as the feeling of rejection washed over her.

Her hand shook a little as she reached for the shampoo and began washing her hair. _He is right; I will just have to keep my distance. It just hurts too much to be around him, s_he thought miserably. After she finished rinsing out her hair she stepped out of the shower. Her emotional outburst left her tired so she decided to dry her hair and just go to bed.

In the middle of the night Hinata woke up when she heard a hacking cough coming from Itachi's room. She immediately jumped out of bed and hurried into his room. Her eyes filled with shock at the sight of blood on his pillowcase. He was no longer in the bed and she could hear him in the bathroom.

"Itachi? Are you alright?" She asked in worried voice as she knocked on the door.

When he didn't respond she opened the door and saw him leaning over the sink spitting out blood. There was blood everywhere and he was breathing rapidly as if he couldn't get enough oxygen. He tried to push her away as if he couldn't stand to have her see his weakness.

"No, I won't go," she said firmly. "Let me help you."

When he didn't respond and his eyes began to roll back slightly in his head, she took action. Putting her arms around him she helped slide him to the floor and kneeled down next to him while she activated her Byakugan. After refining her vision she was able to see what the problem was. He had a ruptured blood vessel in his lungs that was causing the bleeding.

The black gunky substance had also blocked some of his airways and she needed to find a way to clear it out. Not sure if this was going to help him or not, she applied healing chakra to her hands and laid it on his chest.

_I have to concentrate and control my chakra to heal the rupture. If the rupture bleeds anymore his lungs will fill up with blood and he will die,_ she thought desperately as she watched him struggle to breathe.

While she was healing his lung he passed out from lack of oxygen.

"Itachi!" she said anxiously beginning to panic a little.

She felt his chest, and found his heart was still beating. Then after making several rapid hand-signs she quickly performed a medical jutsu to put him into stasis, so he would stay alive. Next she worked on the rupture until it stopped bleeding and was healed.

Her eyes did a quick diagnostic look over him and saw he was doing much better, she realized she would have to use some of her chakra to try to clear out some of his bronchial tubes. It was tedious work but she started to see he was breathing better.

With a sigh of relief, she undid the stasis jutsu and tried to get him to wake up.

"Itachi! Wake up!" she said loudly and shook his shoulder. His eyes fluttered a little and he looked at her a little dazed and started to point toward the counter.

"What do you need, I can help you?"

She saw him try to speak, and she put her head down by his mouth.

"My medicine," he rasped to her.

She quickly stood up and found a vial of serum with some syringes.

"How much?" she asked.

Wearily, he lifted his hands and showed her ten fingers. Understanding him, she drew out 10 units of the serum and injected it into his arm.

Hinata activated her Byakugan again to see if there were any more ruptures and was glad to see her repair appeared to be holding up. She just needed to find a way to clear the rest of the blood out of his lungs, so he could breathe easier. She deactivated her Byakugan and told him what she needed to do.

"Itachi I am going to try to draw some of the blood from your lungs up through your mouth. I will need you to try to breathe slowly and each time you exhale I am going to try to push some of the blood out. Do you think you can do this without passing out?"

He nodded slowly.

She wished Sakura were here doing this procedure, she had a lot more experience. _I will just have to do my best and hope it is good enough, s_he thought to herself as she activated her Byakugan and started focusing her chakra on his lungs_. _

After about 45 minutes she cleared his lungs out enough that his breathing was no longer labored. She was happy to see that some of the black substance had also come up as well.

Her chakra was almost completely used up as she helped him stand up and watched as he rinsed his mouth out over the sink. While he was doing that she went to her room and found a couple of clean and fluffy pillows, so his head would be raised up a little higher.

She also pulled out a couple of syringes and a few empty vials and slipped them into her pocket.

"Itachi, I am going to give you a sedative that will help you sleep, is that alright with you," she asked calmly.

He nodded his head giving her permission.

Hinata went to her medical bag and pulled out a vial of clear liquid and drew some it out. After she gave him the shot, she helped him over to the bed. He was lying down on his side and appeared to be breathing a little better. She watched anxiously as he slowly fell asleep.

Her hands were shaking as she went out into the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. She needed to make sure he was actually asleep before she tried anything with him or she could end up with a kunai in her chest.

She slipped into his room quietly and listened for his even breathing. She saw his chest was rising and falling at a regular rate and knew he was asleep. _Okay, it is now or never. I have to do this,_ she thought to herself determinedly.

Taking the syringe out of her pocket she poked it into his vein and started drawing out his blood. She had to steady her nerves and hoped he didn't wake up, because if he did—she is dead.

After she filled up one of the vials she put some gauze over the small hole to stop the bleeding and applied pressure to it. After it stopped bleeding, she went into his bathroom and smeared some of the black substance from his lungs into a container and sealed it up. She also drew out some of his medicine that he had with him so it could be analyzed too. She took all of the vials and put them in her medical bag and hid them in a closet in her room.

_I need to find a way to send these secretly to Sakura so she can analyze them for me, _Hinata thought nervously. Since he wouldn't tell her what was wrong with him, she decided to find out for herself.

After brushing her teeth she took a blanket off of her bed and went into his room. She took her blanket and laid it over his bed and walked around to the other side and slipped under the covers next to him. After she listened to him to see that he was breathing okay, she rolled over and fell into an exhausted sleep.

Edited: 5/3/13


	5. Chapter 5

**Beach Interlude**

**~Chapter 5~**

* * *

Hinata slowly woke up as she felt the filtered sunlight come through the windows of his room. She felt a rush of warmth seep over her face when she felt Itachi's hand holding the curve of her waist as he slept. He was lying behind her on his side she could feel his thigh touching her leg. She thought back to last night's intense kiss in the hot tub and felt her body get a little warm. What he had meant for punishment did the opposite, it only made her want him more.

She rolled over slightly so she lay on her back and could look into his face. Last night, when he became so ill, it frightened her beyond measure. If she hadn't been there he would have died.

Her eyes closed painfully at the thought of losing him again. Opening her eyes she allowed them to roam over his elegant face; it is saved from being too pretty by the creases alongside his nose. Her eyes took in the shadows under his eyes and realized he must have been sick for a long time.

Itachi woke up when he felt her eyes watching him, he sensed her mood was pensive and sad and he knew why. _She knows I am dying, h_e thought sadly to himself.

_Damn it,__ t__here would be no hiding it now and it is going to be even harder to push her away,_ he realized in frustration. For all her shyness and sweetness he knew how stubborn she could be when it came to taking care of those she loves. He remembered how she used to be when they were kids and he had a feeling she was the same way now.

He sighed as he wondered if he had the will to stop what was happening between them, it almost seemed inevitable to him. He just knew he didn't want to keep pushing her away.

Slowly moving his hand over her waist he felt the heat of her skin from under her nightshirt. Pulling her closer to him, he heard her give a little squeak of surprise.

"Itachi?" she questioned him.

"Come here," he commanded her softly.

She turned towards him and looked into his onyx eyes and saw them soften as he stared at her.

_He isn't going to push me away anymore,_ she breathed a happy sigh and allowed him to pull her closer to him.

Hinata fell back asleep with a small smile on her face and was so comfortably warm against him. He looked down at her and felt peaceful for the first time in a long while.

Smoothing out her hair with his hand he remembered last night and how determined she was to save him. He had watched her face as she used her Byakugan to see inside his lungs. He was surprised to see just how much medical knowledge she had.

He had been unconscious when he first came here so he didn't know what she did to him. She did something last night that very few people could have done, because of her bloodline limit. She was able to see the damage in his lungs and heal the rupture. Miraculously she had bought him more time on earth; to him it was an unexpected gift.

Hinata woke up and snuggled a little closer to him. As she felt his arms close around her, she was searingly aware of the strength and warmth of his body and the beating of his heart steadily against her cheek. It reminded her that he was still very much alive.

Stifling a grateful sob she buried her face against his chest and held him tightly. Feeling his arm tighten protectively around her, she looked up at him and felt breathless anticipation as she watched his lips slowly descend upon hers. She sighed a little and relaxed against him and allowed his mouth to explore hers, loving the feel of them upon her.

Itachi held her against him and purposely kept his kiss carefully neutral, and any hint of passion was kept well under control. He knew how innocent she was he didn't want to frighten her.

As Hinata kissed him she completely relaxed as his hand lightly touched her back. It just felt so natural being with him like this, it surprised her and she tensed up a little as she realized it was all happening too fast.

Itachi immediately sensed her hesitation and pulled away from her. He was not going to rush her to do anything she didn't want to do.

He gave her a little kiss on the top of her head and got up out of bed. He decided to take a shower.

He expected there would be blood all over the place in the bathroom but there wasn't any. Hinata must have cleaned it up already. He took off his clothes and opened the shower door and stepped inside. As the hot water fell on his weary body he began to regret his decision to allow Hinata to become closer to him.

It wasn't that he didn't care for her, because he has always cared for her. He just didn't want her to get hurt or killed because of him. _I have to go back to Akatsuki soon, how am I going to keep her safe?_ He worried. Considering that he was probably going to die very soon he decided now was a good time to give her his gift. It would help him keep her safe and watch over her.

After he got dressed he headed out to the kitchen where he heard Hinata making breakfast. Coming through the door he noticed she was cooking rice to make some rice balls.

Looking up from what she is doing, she gave him a soft smile.

"Good morning Itachi," she said shyly, she was feeling a little unsure of how to act around him after last night and the kiss they shared this morning. Blushing, she looked away from him and began working on cooking breakfast again.

She was reassured when he walked over to her and put his arms around her and rested his head against her shoulder.

"Hinata," he whispered against her neck, his warm breath sent shivers down her spine.

"Yes Itachi?"

"Come outside with me after breakfast and make sure you bring food. I want to give you the gift I promised to you."

"Uh-okay," she said as he released her and went to sit on a stool by the counter.

They didn't talk much over breakfast, because they were both absorbed with their own thoughts. Hinata was feeling a little nervous, she had a question to ask him and she didn't want to make him mad by asking it. She spent most of her time eating and trying to build up her courage so she could ask him.

Finally, when she had built up enough courage she blurted out shyly.

"Um…Itachi?"

"Hm," he said as he looked up at her.

"H-how long have you been sick?"

He should have known this question was going to come up eventually. He really didn't want to have to answer it, but after last night he had no choice. He must let her know about his illness.

He suspected with her medical knowledge and Byakugan she already knows a great deal about what is going on. When he didn't answer her right away she continued on.

"W-well, I am a medic nin and I have been training under Lady Tsunade for about two years now. I can tell…something is... very wrong with you."

"You know that I am dying don't you?" His eyes shifted to her face.

"Yes," she said with tears forming in her eyes.

"When you first came here your chakra reserves were dangerously low and you were burning up with a fever. But that was not what worried me. Your chakra coils are starting to deteriorate and… your lungs are filled with a black substance that looks thick almost… like a cancer," she finished in a choked up voice.

"It is not cancer, it is poison," he told her calmly.

He sighed when he saw her waiting for him to tell her more about it.

"About a year ago I became very ill during a mission to the Earth Country. One of my associates who specialized in poisons analyzed my blood. He confirmed I had definitely been poisoned, he couldn't find any antidote or even what type of poison it was. He gave me the vial of medicine that is in the bathroom. I have been taking it for a year and it seems to help keep me alive," he said finally as if he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"Itachi!" She cried as she reached over and grabbed his hand frantically.

"Let me try to save you… I have access to a great deal of information in Konoha at the hospital. Will you let me send a sample of your blood to my friend so she can evaluate it and try to find an antidote?"

His eyes were implacable as he shook his head and said firmly, "No-absolutely not."

Standing up from the table, he walked around to her chair. He grabbed her hand in his and pulled her up to him. Hinata latched onto him and held him tight to her, she desperately wanted to save him.

"There is no need for you to worry; I have many people working for me trying to find an antidote," he said in a soothing but unemotional voice. She started to argue with him when he put his hand over her mouth.

His voice became hard and his eyes flashed as he said, "I cannot risk your name being linked to mine in Konoha. Do you have any idea how many spies there are for Akatsuki in the village, they are everywhere."

Feeling helpless, Hinata put her face in his chest and sobbed. "I-I just want you to live. I n-need to help you."

"I am sorry Hinata, I cannot allow you to put yourself at risk any more than you already have for me," he said apologetically as he gently kissed the top of her head. In his mind this conversation was over.

Holding him and staring over his shoulder, Hinata stopped crying and had a look of quiet determination in her eyes as she thought, _I'm sorry Itachi, I have to help you._

She just needed a way to send those samples of his blood over to Konoha without him finding out about it.

Edited: 5/3/13


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

Looking out over the property with her Byakugan she located Itachi over at the training grounds. Pulling out the vials of blood and samples she hurried and prepared the package to send to Sakura. Glancing nervously toward the area where Itachi was standing, she took a deep breath. She hated deceiving him, but realized he had left her no choice.

If he wasn't going to try to save himself then she would have to do it for him.

She had to at least try; just sitting back and waiting for him to die was not something she could do. Besides, she trusted Sakura and had seen her work miracles removing poison from others. Hinata hoped she would be able to work another one.

They had become good friends since they were both training under Lady Tsunade. She sat down and wrote a short note and placed it inside the package. After placing the package in her backpack, she prepared herself mentally to meet Itachi.

The well-equipped training grounds were fairly close to the house. The area had a lot of room for sparring with different size training posts at the edge. There were also some bull's eyes for kunai practice in different areas. It also had some benches on the far end for resting and viewing purposes.

As she neared the training grounds, Hinata saw Itachi standing over by one of the benches and she walked over to him and put her back pack and a couple of containers of food on one of the benches. When she looked over at him and saw the scroll in his hand her curiosity increased tenfold.

_I wonder what it is-some new jutsu maybe, s_he thought becoming very impatient.

Itachi was watching and secretly enjoying her impatience. _She has no idea what I am going to give her, maybe I should make her wait longer. _

"Um-Itachi, I am ready to receive my gift please," Hinata asked sweetly after she had stood next to him for several seconds.

"You are; are you?" He said passively as his eyes teased her a little.

"Y-yes," she said with a small smile clearly enjoying the light banter that was between them after all of the drama of the past few days.

Hinata's pulse began to race when she saw the look on his face change as he slowly began to move closer to her. His eyes were almost serious as he lowered them to her lips. Leaving her in no doubt what he wanted from her.

_Oh dear, _Hinata thought weakly as the tips of his fingers gently traced a line from her cheeks to her lips. At his soft touch, Hinata drew in a short, trembling breath, unable to move or speak, feeling very strange—at once frozen and full of melting heat.

Grasping his shoulders for support, she leaned into him. She was beginning to feel a little frightened by the intensity of what was happening between them.

As though sensing her fears, Itachi began to give her reassuring touches and smooth her hair. Soon she felt herself begin to relax in his arms. She looked up at him shyly and excitement began to build in her as she saw the warmth in his eyes as he lowered his mouth toward hers.

His kiss was a brief brush of lips, Hinata thought, like silk across her mouth. Very soft and oh so comforting. Sighing a little at the feel of his lips on hers, she leaned closer and put her arms around his neck.

Adjusting her slightly by leaning her head back, Itachi kissed her again. This one was different from the first one and was almost sensual as his lips came down lightly, like the wings of a butterfly, touching her upper lip, then drawing on the lower.

She heard him sigh a little and felt his arms come around her pulling her closer. His lips came down on hers once more, more firmly now. Hinata could not help touching his cheek and threading her other hand around his ponytail. A wash of warmth rose up from the pit of her stomach, but she shivered as if with cold and moved closer to him, for he seemed to radiate with heat.

Itachi's arms tightened around her firmly causing her to gasp. But her gasp was smothered by yet another kiss, deeper, exploring, so that she gave a small moan from the sheer sweetness of it.

"Itachi," she murmured, closing her eyes as his lips began to trace a line down her throat. A shiver ran down her as his lips touched the sensitive hollows at the base of her throat.

Still kissing the silky skin on her neck, Itachi savored the sound of his name on her lips. He thought no one ever said his name quite like she did. The longing in her voice touched him and made him want to reach for something beyond his reach.

Life.

Itachi held her tighter, as the cold dread of his mind told him this moment with her was nothing more than a pause in the headlong rush of his grim destiny. Where he was going she could not follow. His barren path was one of exile, loss and ultimately death.

The reminder of where he was headed stopped him cold and gave him the will to resist the temptation to ask for more from life… more than what he deserved.

He kissed her again softly and then whispered in her ear, "I am ready to give you my gift now."

After he released his hold on her, Hinata almost stumbled, she felt as if her mind was in a fog. She frowned as she had felt his mood change and watched as he walked over towards the center of the training grounds and bit his thumb and slammed his hand on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," he said in a firm voice.

At hearing the name of the jutsu he was giving her, Hinata sucked in her breath happily. She knew what that jutsu meant, it was a summoning technique. Joy began to flood her heart, she had always wanted a summon.

Suddenly a small murder of crows appeared. There were six of them and they were of different sizes. The largest one bowed a little and spoke in a slightly scratchy voice.

"Itachi-sama, how may we assist you?"

Itachi turned toward Hinata and motioned her over to him.

"Kuroy this is Hinata, I am going to allow her to sign the summoning contract. You will assist her as you do me. She has proven to be a worthy ally and is very important to me."

Kuroy looked over at the blushing Hinata and said, "Hai Itachi-sama, we would be happy to serve such a pretty kunoichi."

Hinata was not used to receiving so many compliments and she was starting to feel a little flustered. "Kuroy-san, would you please introduce me to your family," she asked in a happy but polite voice.

He pointed to a fat little crow that looked to be the youngest. "This is Kuma, as you can see he likes to eat all the time. He tries really hard to be useful; we just haven't found what he is good at yet."

"Hi Kuma-san, it is nice to meet you," she said as she kneeled down next to him and touched his feathers. The young bird was not fully grown yet and still had some fuzz on him.

"Aww," said Hinata, she was starting to fall in love. Her father never allowed her to have pets and now she had summoning creatures!

Kuroy introduced her next to a pair of twins, Taka and Hato, these birds were still young, but they were fully grown. They both had fierce red eyes that scared her a little.

"Hinata these two are the strongest fighters in the group. They belong to me, I trained them to work with my jutsu and they assist me in battle. If something should happen to me they will help watch over you, should you ever have need of them," Itachi said practically.

At his words Hinata went pale, she was beginning to understand why he was allowing her to sign the contract; he wanted to have some way to protect her after he died.

Her heart melted at his thoughtfulness, yet at the sign that he was preparing himself to die, it further strengthened her resolve to help him.

Unaware of the emotions his gift was causing her, Itachi pointed to another set of twins; they appeared to be male and female.

"Hinata these two will belong to you. The female is Karasu and the male is Washi."

The two crows bowed a little before her.

"Nice to meet you Hinata-sama," they said in their bird voices.

"Before you go back home to Konoha you may begin training them to work with your jutsu. However, Karasu has a special purpose. When we are separated she will be our envoy," he explained to her as his hand started to glow with chakra.

"Come here, Hinata," he beckoned her to him.

Her eyes were questioning as she moved in front of him. She watched in fascination as he tapped her on the forehead with his index finger.

"Ah!" She gasped slightly as she felt a burning sensation go through her forehead. Backing away from him a little, she wondered what he did to her.

"I transferred a jutsu to you that will allow you to look into Karasu's eyes and receive the messages I send you. When you want send me a message you will only need to speak it to Karasu and she will be able to relay it to me. No one will be able to see or hear the messages we send to each other but us," Itachi explained to her, she noted his voice was unusually solemn.

Hinata's face began to grow warm as she was beginning to understand the significance of this gift. It seemed to her he was not only using the birds to watch over her, he was also allowing her to re-establish the close bonds she once had with him.

The thought that she would be able to contact him after they were separated comforted her immeasurably and completely cemented her resolve. There was no way she was going to give up on saving his life, her fist clenched into a tight fist.

Itachi looked over at her and became a little alarmed at the stubborn look on her face and wondered what it was all about. Catching her eyes, he lifted an eyebrow questioning her.

"Hinata?"

She blushed and forced herself to relax, knowing he was able to read her very well.

"I'm fine," she reassured him quietly and tried to keep her eyes carefully blank. "Please continue."

Itachi looked at her a little skeptically, but decided not to press the issue.

"Washi, is very intelligent; he is to be used when you send messages to other people. Do not use him to send me messages; it is much safer to use Karasu," he continued softly.

"He also can be trained to assist you on the battle field. If there is time before I leave I will help you teach him how to train with you," Itachi offered.

"Mm, that sounds fun," Hinata told him, becoming excited at the prospect of training with all of them.

Itachi smiled to himself a little when he saw how she still loved to train and learn new jutsu. He wondered just how strong she had become.

Looking back over at her he pointed to the largest bird, the one that was the leader of the group.

"Kuroy is to be used for scouting purposes," Itachi explained to her calmly.

"Hai Hinata-sama, I am very good at spying and scouting terrain for enemies," Kuroy said with a little bow towards her.

"Most people do not pay attention when a crow flies over head or lands in a tree near them. He is the perfect scout when you cannot get close enough to use your Byakugan without being sensed or spotted," Itachi continued.

"There is one more crow that I did not introduce you to, because he requires more chakra than I am able provide right now. His name is Hayabusa and he is the chief crow. He is very powerful in battle, but requires so much chakra, that you may not have any left to fight with. He also is large enough that you would be able to ride on his back in an emergency. If possible, I will have you meet him before I leave," Itachi said quietly before reaching out to her and placing his hand around hers.

He handed her the summoning scroll and a kunai and looked into her eyes. "Sign your name under mine in blood and place your fingerprint on the scroll and it will be complete."

Hinata shivered slightly at the look he gave her. There was a feeling of intimacy between them and made the signing of the contract feel almost as if she was signing a marriage contract to him. She knew he did not offer this to her lightly and the trust he was showing her made her stomach twist in knots knowing she was soon going to betray him.

Overwhelmed by all of it, tears came to her eyes as she cut her finger and signed her name to the contract and then gently pressed her finger to leave a print under her name.

She watched as the scroll suddenly went poof before it disappeared.

Placing his hands around hers he told her with an slightly grave look on his face.

"I would like to keep this contract just between the two of us, Hinata."

"I won't offer it to anyone else; I promise, Arigato Itachi," she said, her voice was choked with tears.

Hinata grabbed Itachi's hand and kissed it. She loved her present, it just meant so much to her, especially because it was from him.

Itachi pulled her close to him and held her. He was glad she liked her gift; he had a feeling she would. A feeling of extreme tiredness came over him and he released her.

"Hinata, I am going to go back to the house and rest. I will leave you to get better acquainted with them. Don't forget to feed them before you come back," he reminded her as he walked away.

"Hai, I will take care of it right now," she promised as she watched him walk away the smile she was wearing slowly left her face.

Hinata walked over to the bench where she had brought some food and opened the containers. She placed them on the ground and smiled in amusement as the birds devoured the food in a few minutes.

While they were eating she told them a little about herself and her abilities. When the birds were done gorging themselves on food, they decided to poof back home to rest.

"Um, Kuroy-san would you mind staying a moment so I may talk to you?" She asked nervously. She prayed she could trust him not to tell Itachi what she wanted him to do for her.

"Sure Hinata-sama," he said as he flew up to the back of one of the benches. Hinata sat down on the bench and looked at him gravely.

"Kuroy-san, did you know Itachi-sama is very ill?"

"Hai, we all know he is. We have been very worried about him."

"I have a friend that I trust, that can help him. She is a very skilled healer and I need you to fly these samples of his blood to her to be analyzed. Itachi does not want me to do this, and I am sorry to ask you to do something against him...I will take the blame if he gets angry. I just don't want him to die. Please help me," she asked him urgently as her eyes pleaded with him to help her.

"Hai, Hinata-sama I will leave immediately," he bowed solemnly.

"Thank you Kuroy-san," she said with a sigh of relief. Pulling the small package out of her backpack, she set it down and he grabbed the cord around it with his feet.

"Kuroy, please make sure you give it to Sakura Haruno she works at the hospital in Konaha. Please give it to her when she is alone, no one must see her receive it. Tell her I explained everything in a letter inside the package. Now go my friend. I promise to make you something extra yummy when you return. Arigato, Kuroy-san," she said gratefully as she watched him fly away.

_Forgive me Itachi, s_he thought worriedly, as she picked up the food containers and began to walk slowly back to the house.

**Author's Note: **I hope all of you like the changes I made. Again, I am sorry I had to use Sakura in my story (I really don't like her at all) she was the only character that would work in my plot. Please let me know if you like the changes I made.

Edited: 5/3/13


	7. Chapter 7

_**~Chapter 7~**_

Chop, chop, chop…

Hinata watched as the knife forcefully cut through the vegetables. Frowning slightly, she kept herself busy while he slept making dinner for both of them. Back at home when she had a problem she usually trained or worked in her garden. Just the act of accomplishing something, even if it was something small, always made her feel better.

Too bad it wasn't working now. Nothing short of a miracle would fix her problem. As she thought about the vials of blood Kuroy had taken to Sakura, she hoped very much her friend would be able to do something to help him.

The very thought of him dying was just something she refused to accept. Gripping the knife with white knuckles she chopped down hard on the meat in front of her.

"I think it is dead already." A sardonic voice said behind her.

Scrunching her eyes closed she grimaced at being caught acting foolishly by him.

"Hai, I know," Hinata replied with a reluctant laugh.

Putting his hands on her shoulders, he looked at the cutting board in front of her with a raised eye brow.

"So what are you making?"

Hinata's pulse jumped at his closeness to her.

"Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) and… some grilled vegetables," she replied with a slight catch in her voice and pointed to a cabinet above her. "Do you mind getting the hibachi grill down for me?"

Wordlessly he walked over and reached it down for her and set it on the table. Hinata couldn't resist watching him out of the corner of her eye. At the sight of him reaching up and his amazingly sculpted backside, her face began to grow warm.

In an attempt to hide her discomfort being around him, she nervously began chopping again.

"Um Itachi?…How are you feeling?"

"I am fine," he replied tiredly.

Concerned at the tiredness she heard in his voice, her forehead creased as she turned to him. It was beginning to worry her that he was so tired all the time. He had been sleeping constantly since he came here and it never seemed to be enough for him.

"Itachi, do you mind if I use my Byakugan to check you over," she asked quietly.

He nodded and stepped back from her a little.

"Byakugan" she said as she looked at his chest. His lungs were still in bad shape, she would have to find a way to clear out the black sediment in his lungs. His chakra levels also were lower than he was probably used to and that would explain why he felt so weak.

Her lips tightened as she realized she needed to do some repair work to strengthen his chakra network. She just hoped her repairs will hold up or his chakra coils will start leaking again and he will lose some of his ability to perform high-level Jutsu.

Deactivating her Byakugan she looked up at him with worried eyes.

"Itachi I am going to have to work on your chakra coils to repair some of the deterioration and weak spots. I cannot do it all at once, because I do not want to shock your system," she told him apologetically.

"I have already repaired some of the damage… but a lot more needs to be done to strengthen your chakra system. Otherwise, you will begin to lose all ability to perform jutsu."

Itachi's eyebrows rose a little at her last statement. He had no idea his chakra system was in such bad shape. Now he knew why he felt so tired all the time.

_She is really useful to have around, _he thought to himself.

"I understand," he said calmly as he looked over at her gratefully. "Thank you Hinata."

At the look in his eyes, Hinata felt herself becoming flustered again. Pulling herself together she forced herself to concentrate on helping him.

"Itachi, if it is alright with you… I would like to do some of the work now and I will work on another section later this evening. It uses a lot of my chakra to do this work and we will both need some time to recover."

He nodded and went into the bedroom and laid down on the bed. Following him into the room, Hinata looked at him on the bed with her heart in her eyes. _Please don't die Itachi, _she thought desperately. Bending over him, she kissed his chest lightly.

Itachi's eyes opened, he was about to ask her what she was doing when he saw the look on her face, he understood.

_This is hard for her; she always did care too much for me, I am not worth it. _

"Hinata," he said seriously. "Just try your best."

Not trusting her voice, she nodded emotionally.

She focused her eyes and her chin became determined.

"Byakugan" she said clearly as she made her hands glow with chakra and started healing him.

When she was done working on him she noticed he had fallen back asleep. Covering him up with a blanket, she went out to the kitchen to finish dinner.

Glancing outside she saw the weather was beautiful, she decided to set the patio table so they could have dinner out there.

The table was under a covered patio that overlooked the swimming pool. The hot tub and sauna were off to the side of the house. The other side of the yard had a small garden and when you looked past it you could see the ocean. It was a peaceful setting and one of the reason's she had wanted to come here on vacation.

When she went inside she was glad that Itachi had woken up, she didn't want to have to wake him up again. Considering what happened last time she tried and ended up with a kunai aimed at her stomach. She shuddered a little.

Looking him over closely she noticed he still looked tired, but appeared to be feeling better. _My treatments must be helping him a little, _she hoped.

Walking over to him, she was surprised when he reached out and pulled her into his arms. Letting out a little sigh of contentment, she laid her head on his chest.

Hinata loved being held by him. Back home she never received any physical attention from anyone except from her sister who would occasionally give her a small hug before she left for the day. Breathing out softly, she also noticed she fit perfectly into his arms.

Itachi looked down at Hinata as she leaned into him. It was an odd experience for him to have anyone look to him for comfort. Sighing a bit to himself he had to admit as he looked at her relaxed face that he could get used to this. He kissed the top of her head and released her.

She finished cooking the rice and he took the platters of meat and vegetables out to the patio and set them on the table next to the grill. He took some of the meat and started putting it on the grill.

Itachi knew he was terrible at cooking and was glad that at headquarters they have people who cook for them. When he is on missions with Kisame, his partner usually does all the cooking. The only problem is, Kisame really likes fish and he cooks that most of the time or they go out to eat when they are in town.

He noticed how good of a cook Hinata is, everything she has made so far has been very good. _She would have made me an excellent wife, if I would have been able to marry her, _he thought regretfully. He tried most of the time to not think of all of the sacrifices his mission had cost him over the years. Keeping his village and brother safe from harm were more important to him.

Hinata came through the door onto the patio carrying some plates and chopsticks. She saw the meat was already on the grill and smiled a little at him.

"Thank you for helping me."

After setting the items down, she went back in the house to go get something for them to drink. Coming back outside she had a pitcher full of iced tea with some glasses with her.

While she set the table he turned the meat and started adding some vegetables to the grill. The sizzle and smell of the meat on the grill was starting to make him very hungry.

"Hinata, where did you learn to cook like this?" He asked her.

She blushed a little before she answered him.

"My father had me learn as part of my preparation for becoming your wife when I was younger. I found that I enjoyed doing it and became good at it. My clan does not usually allow me to prepare food for them, except on special occasions. The only time I get to cook is when I am on missions with my team," she said a little sadly.

"You would have made me an excellent wife Hinata," he said practically.

She looked up at him with sad eyes and said, "I know."

He dropped the subject by turning away from her and using the tongs to turn the meat and vegetables on the grill.

Knowing how he doesn't like talking about himself or the past she let the subject drop.

An uncomfortable silence hung over them until Hinata couldn't take it anymore. She reached up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Itachi, I never understood why things happened the way they did. O-one thing I do know is that you had to have a good reason to have done what you did. I always believed that and I always will. I know you only kill when you have to—y-you are not a killer by nature." she told him in a softly determined voice.

Turning around in her arms, he looked down at her with quiet amazement at her faith in him.

"You always did know me better than anyone else," he said as he took his hand and laid it gently on her cheek.

Stepping away from her his eyes became hard as he stared out the window. "It still doesn't change the fact that to the rest of the world I am a killer and an S-ranked criminal."

His face was grim as he continued to stare out the window with hollow eyes.

"My path is already set in motion and nothing can change it. The moment I slaughtered my clan, I severed my ties to the past, and that includes you."

At his statement, all the blood rushed from her face and she felt suffocated with pain. It was as if he was giving up on life, her, and on…everything. Closing her eyes she refused to accept his view of the future.

"I disagree with you Itachi," she told him emotionally with a hint of steel in her voice. Turning to go inside and finish dinner she continued sadly.

"I believe we all have the power to change our own destiny. Naruto-kun taught me that."

Itachi's jaw was taut as he watched her go inside. _She is stronger than I ever thought she was_. Her words had penetrated his mind and forced him to see something he didn't believe was even possible.

_What if Hinata is right and I do have the power to change my destiny?_

His mind immediately rebelled at the thought.

_A future, living…hope_.

He tried to wrap his mind all of those ideas and they all seemed foreign and completely impossible to him.

The reality of his impending death had hung over him since he joined with Madara and Akatsuki. It was the only reality that made sense to him. He owed a debt of blood to his brother and his honor demanded that he pay it. That _was_ his reality.

During supper, Hinata watched him as he ate. She could tell he was deep within himself.

Closing her eyes painfully, she hoped the words she spoke to him got through, even if it was only a little. It broke her heart to see him give up on life.

She would like nothing more than to be able to marry him someday and be able to love him the rest of her life. She had never wanted anyone else...her heart always belonged only to him.

_I will just have to have enough hope for the both of us. _Hinata thought stubbornly as she pushed her plate away from her.

Getting up from the table, she decided to go clean up the kitchen and give him some space. About halfway through cleaning the kitchen she looked outside and suddenly felt stifled by being indoors.

After rushing through all of her chores, she ran into her bedroom and put on her swim suit and some shorts. Before she left she went out to the patio to talk to Itachi.

"Itachi, I am going to walk along the beach, would you like to join me?" She asked him hesitantly, figuring he would probably want to be alone.

It took him a moment to respond to her. His first thought was to say no to her and then he decided to rebel a little. The thought of spending time with her on the beach was just too tempting for him, his jaw became firm as he made up his mind.

"I will come with you," he told her as he went inside to change.

Hinata stood there surprised he had said yes to her. She thought for sure he would say no. Taking a relieved breath, she ran inside to find a blanket for them to sit on. Feeling slightly reckless, she grabbed a bottle of apple wine and some water along with some glasses.

After finding her flip flops she walked into the living room she saw he was already there waiting for her. He was wearing the same gray swimming trunks as he did the other night, except this time he was also wearing a shirt.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked her as he took the wine glasses and bottle of wine from her.

"Yes," she replied a little breathlessly. The way he was looking at her was making it hard for her to breathe normally.

Turning the bottle in his hands he looked at the label on the bottle and he saw that it was apple wine.

"My nana used to make this for Sasuke and me," he said quietly as he recognized it.

"I remember now, you shared some with me one time when we snuck out to go fishing," Hinata responded with a smile.

"Ah yes, I remember how Sasuke and I kept having to put your worms on your hook for you because you felt bad for them and you didn't want to hurt them."

Hinata looked over at him and noticed he appeared to be in the same mood as her. It was like they had both had reached a point where they just needed to get away from everything. The future just looked too grim; they both needed a holiday from it.

Being around him in this mood, made her feel excited and strangely relaxed at the same time. Her eyes were filled with anticipation as she followed him outside the house.

A strange sense of reality took over them as they walked toward the lawn chair Hinata had left down there. It was as if the problems of the real world didn't exist here. After setting the blanket and drinks down, they took off their sandals and started walking towards the water.

Itachi, wrapped his hand around her fingers lightly and looked down at her with soft eyes. She looked carefree with her long hair blowing in the wind. Over the past few days out in the sun she had started to get some color to her pale skin.

Lightly running his hand over her arm he leaned towards her and said softly, his voice was like a caress.

"You are beautiful Hinata."

At his words and touch, warmth coursed through her and she looked up at him with longing in her eyes.

"So are you."

He rolled his eyes a little when she said that to him. He knew he was not unattractive to women, every town he goes to he has to deal with them making advances at him. He always attributed it to being part of Akatsuki and the element of danger he represents.

However, he knows when Hinata says something like that to him, she means it. She has always been as transparent as glass with him; it has always been one of the things he liked about her.

He leaned down and brushed his lips softly over hers. "Let's walk a little, before it starts to get dark."

"Okay," Hinata breathed out as a shiver of pleasure ran through her.

They walked just along the edge of the water. Itachi thought about Kisame, _he would like it here _as he looked out over the ocean. They continued walking slowly until Hinata wanted to turn back.

"I want to go sit on the blanket and watch the water as the sun goes down. I did that on my first day here and now want to watch it with you," she said shyly as she looked over at him.

As he looked down at her he felt a little skip in his heart. He frowned a little as he didn't recognize the feeling. _What is this emotion I am feeling for her? _He decided to leave that thought for another day, as he was not prepared to deal with the answer.

The sun was just about to go down when they got to the blanket. The weather was calm and the sound of the ocean was like a balm to their tired souls. Hinata reached over and opened the bottle of apple wine and poured some in a glass and handed it to him. He took it from her and sat down on the blanket. She poured some for herself and sat next to him.

After a few moments he put his arm around her and drew her closer to him. They sat there in comfortable silence as they watched the sun slowly descend below the waves.

Hinata loved where she was at, the beautiful sunset, the delicious wine, and most of all she loved who she was with. There was nowhere else she would rather be right now. She wanted this moment to last a little bit longer.

"Itachi, I have been meaning to ask you something?" She asked him a little shyly, not wanting to spoil the mood.

"Yes?" He replied a little warily.

"How did you get the crows as your summons?"

He smiled a little, "You mean you don't remember?"

Her brow became furrowed as she tried to remember something to in her past. She sucked in her breath.

"I remember now!" She said happily as she remembered something nice from their past.

"A few months before you left we were training at our training grounds… You were putting me through one of your horrible and scary training sessions. (She looked over at him with an accusing look on her face.) I remembered I had to dodge some exploding kunai and landed in a bush. I looked on the ground and saw a baby crow in a nest. It looked like the nest had fallen out of the tree. I yelled up to you to come over and look at what I had found. I remember I started crying because I wanted to take it home with me, but I knew my father would never allow me to bring something like that into his home. You took the bird and the nest and put it up in the tree again."

She looked over at him skeptically after saw a slight smirk on his face.

" After you took me home, you must have taken him back to your house didn't you?" She accused him while laughing.

"Close, I kept going back to the training grounds to check on him and feed him. Finally he got big enough to take care of himself, so I helped him to fly away from the nest. After that, he kept following me and hanging outside my bedroom window. Eventually, he interceded on my behalf with the chief crow and they offered me the summoning contract," he told her pragmatically as she smiled happily up at him.

"I was the first person they had offered the contract to in over 100 years. They said most humans do not respect their kind and they are treated as outcasts among other birds as well as by people. They had kept their distance from people and kept the contract to themselves," he explained to her almost solemnly.

"Itachi, was the bird Kuroy-san?" She asked thoughtfully.

"Yes."

"He seems to care for you a lot, when I spoke to him today, he and the others have been worried about you," she said softly.

It made sense now why he was so willing to risk betraying Itachi, because Itachi had once saved his life. She looked over at him and thought, _Itachi, please forgive us, we just don't want you to die._

_"_Thank you Itachi, for allowing me to sign the contract. I love all of them already,_" s_he said gratefully.

He looked down at her with a serious look on his face_. _

_"_Hinata, you are taking a big risk for me by allowing me to recover here. If you get caught, you can be prosecuted for harboring a known S-rank criminal. I shouldn't have put you in this position," he said gravely with a touch of bitterness in his voice towards himself.

"Itachi, you were sick, if you hadn't found me when you did, you probably wouldn't be alive right now," She reminded him quietly and sighed. "I just wish I could do more for you."

Itachi put his hands on both sides of her face and kissed her_. "Y_ou have done more than enough to help me."

Hinata closed her eyes and tried to think of something other way she could help him. A light entered her eyes when she thought of something.

"There is something else I could do for you," she told him quietly. At his questioning look she continued. "Well…before you leave, I… could teach you some medical jutsu to help your eyes recover after you using your Sharingan."

At his look of gratitude she felt emboldened to tell him what she has been doing for him the past few years.

"After you left the village, I found some scrolls in our secret family library that talked about the Sharingan and how it was originally derived from the Byakugan. When I learned about the side effects of blindness, I decided that I would learn all that I could so that someday I would be able to help you. My father had been teaching for years how to strengthen my eyes and I figured your Sharingan couldn't be all that different," she said quietly.

As Itachi listened to her he felt an inkling of gratitude toward their fathers for making them sign that betrothal contract all those years ago and bringing her into his life. Her devotion to him after all he had done humbled him.

Almost reverently he reached out and caressed her face.

Hinata watched him with unsettled eyes as she did not understand his mood, and felt her breath catch in her throat when he laid her down on the blanket and began kissing her. Feelings of love and desire for him intermingled as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back.

She hoped it would be a long time before he wanted to go back inside.

_**Author's Note: **_I am finding it is more difficult than I thought to rewrite this story and I found myself a little blocked. I am stupidly writing 4 stories all at once and it makes it difficult for me sometimes to remember where I am at each story. Anyway, I love this time in this story where Hinata is slowly getting through to him and showing him another path in his life might be possible….Please leave me some feedback, it would be a blessing to me.

Edited: 5/3/13


	8. Chapter 8

Warning: This chapter is not for children or young teens due to sexual content. You have been warned!

**Chapter 8**

.

Reaching behind her, his nimble fingers untied the lower straps of her swimsuit. Itachi watched with warm eyes as the predictable blush covered her skin. Gliding his lips over the hollows of her neck he felt shivers run through her. Pressing himself closer he reached behind her and untied the top straps and watched as it slowly fell to the ground.

On his knees next to her a jolt of desire went through him as his gaze swept over her. Innocent soft eyes stared up at him were unknowingly filled with longing and desire. Seeing that innocence in her eyes, Itachi paused.

Looking down at her lying before him he couldn't resist just one more kiss. Soft white arms came around his neck and sighed as his hands caressed her bare skin. Leaning down closer to her he felt her under him, offering herself to him. Unable to stop himself he kissed the softly parted lips in front of him.

A wave of tenderness flooded her at his touch. He was just so gentle with her it made her want to melt. Wanting to lose herself in all of him, she looked up and saw he was watching her. Her heart stopped, when her eyes caught his.

"Itachi," Hinata breathed out softly.

The sound of his name from her lips and the unspoken invitation in her eyes was a reality check for him forcing him to sit up. He knew what was going to happen between them if he didn't stop it.

_Damn it_, he swore in his mind for letting things get as far as they did. Closing his eyes, he realized there was just something so open and unspoiled about her that it was making him lose his head when he is around her.

Looking down at his hands his mouth became grim considering how many times they had been covered in blood_. I shouldn't even be allowed to touch her._

Reaching next to him he picked up her swimsuit top and handed it to her.

"Put it on."

The abruptness of his tone felt like cold water was poured over her. Unable to answer him she took the swimsuit top from him with shaking hands.

On the verge of tears, Hinata watched as he stood up to go.

"Itachi why?" She choked out painfully.

Itachi stood still and took a ragged breath, knowing his actions were hurting her. Steeling himself for the pain, he knew it had to be done. He had to save her from herself…and from him.

"I don't deserve you…I will only end up ruining you."

Turning around silently he began to walk back to the house.

Stunned by the bitterness in his tone, Hinata thought about his words and thought he had it all backwards. It was her who didn't deserve him, she was the worthless one.

"Oh Itachi," she whispered as tears finally came. Putting her hands over her face she let them fall.

Sitting alone on the blanket, Hinata watched as the darkness began to settle around her and felt a slight chill. Feeling numb, she moved stiffly as if in pain as she fumbled putting on her swimsuit top back on.

Thoughts of Itachi reeled through her mind.

Thinking about a future without him crushed her. But the thought of going through her life without loving him was even worse. She knew in her heart she would never have what she had with him, with anyone else.

Desperation and stubbornness forced her to move, she couldn't give him up without a fight. Unworthy as they both were, she felt they both deserved some happiness in this life. Her mouth tightened firmly as she picked up her shoes and the blanket and began carrying them into the house.

When she entered through the front door the house was pitch dark and silent. Setting every down on the ground she went to look for him. As she walked into the kitchen she saw he was sitting alone, staring out the window.

"Itachi," Hinata said softly as she saw him turn towards her.

Working up her courage she took a timid step toward him. Her body was shaking with nerves, but her heart was fortified with determination.

Watching him closely and encouraged by the brief flicker of admiration she saw in his eyes she kept walking toward him. When she got close to him she kneeled humbly before him and put her hands and head on his lap.

Sighing emotionally at the feel of him and at the remoteness of his eyes. Hinata prayed that somehow, someway she would be able to reach him.

Itachi felt a tear on his hand and for a moment felt his resolve begin to weaken. His mouth became grim when he realized it would be better for her to feel pain now rather than later after becoming even more involved with him.

"Hinata…"

She lifted up her hand stopping him. "P-please listen, Itachi…" she began softly as she looked up at him.

Itachi looked down at her and could feel her hands trembling against his. He knew whatever she had to say to him was important to her. Respecting her wishes he listened to her.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment she looked away from him with a deep breath.

"Before I met you…I was… unwanted," she admitted to painfully to him. "My clan hated me… because I was weak and …my father bitterly regretted I wasn't born a son. My mother died trying to give him that son, when my sister was born," she told him and he felt another tear on his hand.

As though lost in the pain that was her childhood, she paused for a moment. Taking another shuddering breath she continued.

"I tried so hard to please all of them…but I always seemed… to fail. It seemed to me that failure was the only thing I was truly good at," she told him with bitter self reproach.

"When I turned five, my father told me that I was to marry you when I was older. I felt even more worthless…. even at that young age, I knew what my father was doing…he had given up on me and was… throwing me away," her voice broke before she finished.

Putting her face in his lap to compose herself, she took a ragged breath. When she looked up at him there was a light in her eyes.

"When I first saw you, I misjudged you," she told him with a wry and shaky smile. "I thought because you were so brilliant and talented...you would look at me like… my cousin and father did and find me… lacking."

Caressing his hand gently, she looked away from him as she remembered something special to her. A small smile came to her lips.

"But…you never did…and when you told your father you would marry me. I felt valued for the first time in my life," she told him quietly in wonder as a blush tinged her skin.

"I became yours."

Itachi looked at her as she stared up at him and remembered back to that day, knowing she spoke the truth. She had always belonged to him.

Instinctively feeling he was weakening, Hinata continued. "And…when you offered to train me, you gave me back my self worth."

Sighing, "You were always worth something to me Hinata," Itachi admitted quietly to her.

Closing hers eyes at his words she nodded. "I know," she said giving him a watery smile as tears threatened to erupt from her.

"You used to try to hide that from me but…I always knew."

The corners of Itachi's mouth turned up slightly at her words never realizing how clearly she had been able to read him.

"I still do, that is why it has to end now," Itachi told her firmly as he stood up and pulled her along with him. His eyes were resolute as he looked down at her.

A lump formed in Hinata's throat as she knew what that look meant. He had decided it was over between them.

Anguish tore through her as she wrapped her arms around him; he stood still as a statue against her. Hinata's heart began to sink as she watched as his remote expression became even more distant and could feel him slipping away from her.

Desperation made her mind clearer and she closed her eyes and tried to think logically about him. She could feel their chance at happiness was slipping away.

_What is your weakness Itachi? _She thought blindly and yet strangely there was clarity too.

Her mind raced as she thought about him and knew that he would never allow himself to be ruled by emotions, he would deny himself forever if he thought that was what he needed to do. But if it came down to it, would he be able to deny her?

She had to try.

Praying silently, she reached up slowly and put her hands on his face. Two hard hands gripped her wrists. With great patience Hinata kissed his hands gently.

"No Hinata." He told her as his hands gripped her wrists tighter.

Ignoring the pain, Hinata looked up at him with eyes full of longing, praying he wouldn't keep denying her.

"Itachi, please…just give me…this time with you. It's all I ask."

Leaning forward she began kissing his chest; hope began to build in her when she felt him release a frustrated sigh. The hold on her wrists became loose.

Putting his hands on her face he looked down at her in the moonlight. The thought of Akatsuki knowing about her and harming her because of him sickened him and hardened his resolve.

Hinata watched as his face become hard and felt her heart sink. Without thinking she reached up and pulled his face down toward hers and kissed him with reckless desperation. She had nothing to lose at this point.

As she kissed him she felt his body become rigid and unyielding as a statue. Standing on her tipee toes she slid her hands around his neck and began gently caressing him while she pressed small kisses along his jaw line. She felt a muscle jerk in his jaw.

Her breath caught in her throat when she felt his arms slowly wrap around her.

"I am trying to keep you safe," he told her his unemotional voice was tinged with frustration.

Hinata nodded and kept kissing him. She knew he would keep the Akatsuki from learning about her.

"You will find a way…I trust you," she told him softly between kisses and pressed herself closer to him.

Itachi's face softened wryly at her naivety and blind trust in him. He forgot how damn stubborn she was. Sighing, he was suddenly tired of fighting himself along with her. Giving into her, his arms crushed her to him while his mouth seized hers with gentle violence, his hands sliding over her back and sides in a possessive caress, drawing her closer to him.

Hinata was moved between laughter and tears and weak with relief as she clung to him. Sighing against him she felt his kiss suddenly become gentle as he slowly, tantalizingly coaxed her lips to part. Tears swam in her eyes as she softened her lips under his.

Itachi looked down at her tearful face bathed in moonlight and felt they were both playing with fire. His eyes grew heavy with desire as he saw the innocent delight with which she received his touch. He knew he could no longer deny her or himself.

Hinata gasped slightly when she felt him sweep his arm under her and began carrying her into his room. A short moment later he was laying her on the bed. Looking up at him as he lowered himself on her, she gave up a silent prayer of thanks and wrapped her arms tightly around him. Her eyes lit up with joyous anticipation as she watched him lower his mouth toward hers.

_**Author's Note**_: I completely rewrote this scene. I always felt it was a pivotal time in their relationship, but I had rushed it. I hope you like the improvements I made and get ready for their relationship to go deeper…Please leave me feedback.

Edited: 5/3/13


	9. Chapter 9

**Mature content—no young teens or children please.**

**Beach Interlude**

**Chapter 9**

Still waters run deep…in some, they are deeper still…

Hinata looked at elegant lines of his face in the moonlight and thought he was hauntingly beautiful. Feeling his lips descend on hers she placed her hands on his face and felt closer to him than she ever had before.

She sighed as she began to feel his hands move over her body caressing her as his mouth gradually became warm and searching. Her lips parted as his hand curved around her nape, sensually stroking it and he began trailing soft kisses down her neck to her shoulder.

The rush of air was delightfully cool against her warm skin as she felt his hands deftly remove her swimsuit. Mere moments later, her eyes widened innocently, as she watched him remove his clothes. Seeing her watch him, he gave her a slow smile before he settled himself over her again.

The feel of his skin touching hers was warm and intimate; she closed her eyes in delight as his mouth descended on hers again. Wrapping her arms around him in a loving embrace she smiled softly against his mouth.

Hinata had always wondered what it would be like to touch him, really touch him. Now that she had the chance, she was helpless to resist the need to feel all of him. Shyly, she began running her hands over his shoulders and forearms before running her hands underneath them and gliding them over his sides and back.

Itachi closed his eyes at the feel of her shy touches, feeling instinctively the yearning behind each one of them. His dark onyx eyes became heavy with desire as he looked down at her. Slanting his head down and kissing her deeper, his mouth and touches became firmer, more demanding.

Unsure of what to do, Hinata clung to him as passion began to take over her mind and body. Breathless and limp against him, she looked up at him with confused eyes, longing to have him even closer to her.

"Itachi?" She breathed out weakly.

At the sound of his name on her voice, Itachi breathed out and put his hands around her face and kissed her deeply as he positioned himself at the entrance of her body. He could sense she was a little nervous; he patiently set himself to calm and reassure her before taking that irrevocable step.

Gently tracing her lips with his mouth, he intimately explored the inside of her mouth with his tongue. Shyly, Hinata opened her mouth a little and leaned back her head and wrapped her hands around his neck as his kiss became even more shockingly intimate to her.

Searing heat rushed through her body, making her feel restless and wound up as she pressed herself against him.

Kissing her even deeper, he pushed himself against her. Feeling her suddenly tense up against him, he put rested his forehead against hers and his eyes darkened as he looked down at her.

"I'm sorry Hinata; this is going to hurt you."

Big eyes filled with longing and desire looked back at him with complete trust.

"It's alright," she whispered while placing her hand around his face..her eyes closed when she felt him enter her.

* * *

Waking up late in the morning, warmth tinged her face when she saw was draped over him with her head on his chest and her long indigo-colored hair was covering both of them. Lifting up her head up, Hinata's mouth curved tenderly as her gaze drifted over his face.

Brushing his dark bangs off of his forehead, she contemplated last night. She could have wept at how patient and gentle he was with her as he loved her throughout the night.

Before last night, she wasn't sure about the depth of his feelings for her. Glancing down at him, delicious warmth fused through her, knowing that he cared deeply for her. He spent all night telling her with his body, what he couldn't tell her with words.

Blushing and feeling sore in unusual places, Hinata sucked in her breath as she lifted herself off him. Grabbing her t-shirt off the floor, she went into the bathroom and walked over to the huge triangle-shaped tub and turned on the water. While she was waiting for the tub to fill up she brushed her teeth.

After it was full she turned on the jets and settled herself by one so the jets massaged her back. The pulsating water felt so good on her sore muscles; she leaned back with a long sigh and let the water heal her body.

Itachi woke up a short while later when sunlight coming through the window landed on his eyes. Sliding his arm across the bed he noticed Hinata was already up and could hear the water running in the bathroom.

Getting up to go check on her, he opened the door he saw her stretched out asleep in the giant tub. The water looked so inviting he decided to join her. He began to step into the tub…

Feeling the water stir around her, Hinata opened her eyes and saw him coming into the tub with her. Quickly looking away from him, she felt unaccountably shy around him. After last night, considering she had touched almost every bit of his body and he hers, she knew it was silly of her to be this way, she just couldn't help herself. She just wasn't sure how to act around him now that everything had changed between them. They weren't just friends anymore…now they were…(gulp) _lovers_.

Closing her eyes as he sat next to her, she immediately began to think about last night and melted down into the water. A reluctant smile spread over her face at the thought, _it was all so wonderful_.

Turning slowly to look at him, she stared straight into calm onyx eyes.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable with the new level of intimacy between them in the daylight, she couldn't make eye contact with him.

A faint smile touched his lips as he looked at her. After last night she had no business being shy with him. Itachi shook his head a little wryly as he reached over and placed his hand firmly around hers.

"Good morning Hinata." He told her normally just before he leaned his head back along the edge of the tub and closed his eyes.

Glancing down at their hands linked together, Hinata relaxed. Leaning back in the tub next to him, she sighed gratefully as she realized he didn't seem to expect anything different from her.

Sitting there next to him she closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the experience of sitting by him and relaxing in his presence. Worn out from all of the emotions of last night and the past few days, she drifted back off to sleep.

Itachi watched Hinata as she slept next to him in the tub. This time with Hinata has been beyond anything he could have ever imagined. Reaching down gently he touched her hair and smiled slightly as he heard her sigh happily in her sleep.

His eyes darkened as he realized time was starting to run out for them. He would need to contact Leader or Kisame soon and check in before they send someone after him. The longer he stayed away, the more the people in his organization would begin to doubt his loyalty to them.

After reaching over and pulling out the plug, he carefully lifted her out of the tub. Amusement shone in his eyes as he noticed she didn't even wake up when he lifted her out of the tub.

As he carried her into the bedroom, he thought of how she stood up to him last night, how she fought to be with him.

She had faith and believed in him even without knowing the truth.

As he set her down on the bed and slid under the covers next to her he knew he could never repay that kind of loyalty and trust.

Sometime later, Hinata woke up next to him and realized he must be pretty tired after last night. Crawling out of the bed slowly she went to her room and pulled out some clothes.

As she was putting on her clothes, her mind turned back to the events of last night. She blushed when she remembered how she practically threw herself at him, with no promises for the future from him at all.

Her face darkened when she realized her very strict family would be furious with her right now for breaking their precious rules. She was supposed to be saving herself for marriage.

But the only marriage she wanted was with him.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she was fiercely glad she had decided to be selfish for once and take what little happiness she could. Thinking about Itachi and the way he made her feel, she was more than willing to face whatever consequences came from being with him.

He was definitely worth it.

Hinata walked into the kitchen and saw Itachi staring out the window towards the ocean. Realizing he was deep in thought she decided not to disturb him. Even though it was lunchtime she decided to make breakfast.

Both she and Itachi liked western style food along with traditional Japanese food. So she decided to make a little of both for them. When the food was done, she dished up a plate for Itachi and took it over to him.

After setting a pot of green tea on a trivet she poured a cup for him and set it front of him.

"Thank you Hinata," he said calmly. After dishing up some food up for herself, she sat down across from him at the kitchen table. Respecting his need for silence, she looked out the window and watched the waves break along the shore.

Watching the peaceful scene outside she sighed as she realized just how much she loved this house. Her father had built it for her mother as a wedding gift and before her death, her mother had decorated it. The house was a small, but lavish in its luxury. Just being here, made her feel closer to her mother.

Looking around her mind turned to Sakura, and hoped she was able to receive the package from Kuroy. She would have to speak to him later to find out what happened.

Hinata desperately hoped Sakura would be able to help Itachi; after all she was an expert on poison and antidotes. She was waiting for Sakura to send her a reply soon, showing her what she needed to do to help Itachi. Time was getting short and he would have to return soon to Akatsuki.

Turning toward Itachi she asked him tentatively,"do you mind if I go spend some time with the crows?"

"Not at all, do you mind if I join you?" he asked her with a teasing glint in his eyes as he noticed she was still acting a little shyly around him.

"Of course not," she responded politely as her cheeks began to turn pink.

"I will meet you out at the training grounds in about 15 minutes," he told her as he got up to go change clothes in his room.

"Okay, I prepared some food for the crows so you do not need to bring any," she told him as she picked up the container and walked out the back door.

As soon as she arrived at the training ground she quickly summoned Kuroy to her.

Poof... Kuroy showed up on the back of the bench. "Hello Hinata-sama."

Anxiously, she ran over to him and whispered, "How did it go? Did you find Sakura?"

"Hai, I flew to a window at the hospital and I spoke to her while she was alone. I am sure we were not overheard. I explained she is to tell no one and contact you immediately. I have been hanging around Konaha waiting for her to make contact with me, so she can reply to your message and give us test results," he told her in his scratchy bird voice.

"Thank you Kuroy-san," she said to him gratefully as she held out a roll to him. "Here is a snack for you before you go back."

"Thanks Hinata-sama," he ate the roll and poofed himself back to Konoha.

Hinata bit her thumb and slammed her hand on the ground and said "Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

Karasu and Washi poofed before her.

They bowed, "How may we assist you Hinata-sama," they said speaking in unison.

Hinata giggled at how cute they were. "Um, hello, I just wanted to get to know you better and thought maybe we could train for a while. I also brought you guys some food," she told them shyly.

"Okay, where is Itachi-sama?" Washi asked.

"He should be here in a few minutes," she replied as she handed each one of them a roll from the container.

"Thanks Hinata-sama."

"Please just call me Hinata, I'd like all of us to be friends," she said kindly.

"Hinata, it will be a pleasure to work with such a nice kunoichi," Karasu said to her respectfully.

As he approached the training grounds Itachi watched Hinata as she talked to the crows and rolled his eyes. _How typical of her to treat them as friends instead of allies or potential weapons. _

His eyes darkened with worry as he looked at her standing in the sunlight talking to the crows. Watching her laugh at something one of them said, he realized that while she may have grown stronger as a ninja, she still was no warrior. She was just too soft-hearted to kill.

The only time he could ever see her actually try to kill someone would be if she felt one her loved ones were being threatened. He began to regret again that he had come here and was putting her life in danger.

However, he couldn't deny that coming here has benefited him greatly. After her treatments and just having time to rest, he felt better than he has in months. Looking over at her, he realized he couldn't leave her now even if he wanted to. He owed this time to her, because of all of the things she has done for him.

Hinata smiled brightly, when he greeted them and asked him how he was feeling. Looking him over closely, she thought his color was starting to improve a little and he seemed to have more energy. It made her feel good to know her treatments appeared to be helping him.

"Itachi, I was wondering if you could help me figure out how to work with the crows using my jutsu. It is hard for me, because I already can see the whole battlefield, including everything behind me. So I do not need them to assist me with that. I cannot use them with my jyuuken technique. I am sort of stumped. Do you think you…could come up with something for us to do?"

"I am sure I can come up with something. Am I allowed to activate my Sharingan yet?" He asked her.

"No, you should not activate it for at least two more days. If you activate it too soon you will disrupt the healing I did and you could lose some of your eyesight," she said replied seriously.

Inwardly Itachi shuddered; he definitely did not want to be almost blind again. He looked over at Hinata and could tell she wanted to ask him something. He raised his eyebrow slightly after he made eye contact with her.

Hinata blushed at well he was able to read her. Looking back at him she smiled shyly. "Um Itachi…there is something I have been wanting to show you. I have a jutsu I created several years ago because I wanted to use it to protect my team-mates and people I care about from attacks from the air. I probably was also thinking about your training sessions from long ago in the back of my mind," she said a little ruefully.

"I release a constant stream of chakra from my palms and I form chakra blades. It is very similar to Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin that my father and Neji are masters at. One difference is that my Protective Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms (Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō) is an offensive move as well as a defensive one. It also relies more upon my flexibility more than it does upon spinning."

Hinata pointed to a pile of kunai and shuriken.

"If you are up to it and feeling a little nostalgic you could throw some weapons at me and… I could show you my technique," she asked him with a hopeful look on her face.

Impassively, Itachi walked over to the pile of weapons.

"I will give you three seconds to run to the center of the training grounds," he warned her with a bland voice.

"One," he counted off, "two, three."

Hinata swallowed nervously as she raced to the center of the training grounds. Activating her Byakugan, she prepared herself for the flurry of sharp weapons that were sure to rain down on her. She had never seen anyone, not even Tenten, who was better or more accurate at throwing weapons than him. He is a master.

She knew she needed to be ready or she would get hurt. Glancing to the left, she saw three kunai coming at her and knocked them down, at the same time from above her some shuriken were starting to rain down on her.

A focused looked entered her eyes as she continued to sharpen her chakra and knock the weapons away from her. He continued to rain weapons down on her as she used her speed and flexibility like a blur to form a protective barrier of chakra around herself.

Her eyes opened wide in amused shock when she saw some paper bombs come at her.

_He knows I hate those things, s_he complained mentally with a small laugh as she jumped out of the way of them.

Impressed, Itachi watched her from a distance. _She really has improved, a move like that would require constant training, excellent concentration and flexibility. Not to mention, only a Hyuuga could pull off a technique like that. _He also noticed that she was in excellent condition and was hardly out of breath.

What impressed him the most about her technique was that she barely moved from the center of the training ground. He looked all around her at all of the weapons sticking out of the ground and saw she was standing there in the middle of them without a scratch on her.

"Hinata; that is a very impressive technique you created. However, I do not think it would work well with the crows as it would probably slice them in half. We will have to come up with something else for you to do with them," he said to her as he gestured to the crows on the bench. She glanced over at them and agreed that he was right; they would get hurt if she tried a move like that around them.

"Okay, Itachi-sensei," she replied with a grin. It had made her very happy to see he was impressed with her jutsu. It made all of the hard work she had put into it almost worth it.

"Hinata, how are you at genjutsu?" He asked as he walked towards her.

"Well, I actually know a lot about genjutsu, since I am on Team-Kurenai. She spent a lot of time teaching us about it. However, my job on the team is more to detect genjutsu with my Byakugan than it is to create one," she replied as she looked up at him.

Itachi eyes were thoughtful as he stared back at her. His mind was already beginning to put something together that would probably work well with her skills.

Hinata, walked over to the benches and picked up all of the empty containers of food. She smiled when she saw just how much those little birds could eat.

Her eyes shone with happiness as she turned toward Itachi and asked him if he was ready to go back to the house. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the way he was staring at her.

"Yes Hinata, I am," he told her calmly and reached out for her as they began to walk rather quickly back into the house. After they were inside she dropped the containers on the floor and without saying a word followed him into the bedroom.

Excitement began to pulse in her veins as he pulled her into his arms and began kissing her hungrily. After a while he lifted his mouth off of hers.

"Hinata are you still sore from last night?" He asked her softly in her ear and was fully prepared to stop if she wasn't up to it.

"No, I'm okay," she told him shyly as she reached her arms behind his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers again. Her body was still a little tender from yesterday but she wanted him too badly to let it bother her.

"Come take a shower with me Hinata," Itachi asked her suddenly as he released her and began pulling her into the bathroom with him.

Gasping for breath, Hinata laughed as he pulled her along. When they came inside the bathroom her body was already humming in anticipation of what they were going to do together...

**Author's Note**: I edited out most of the mature scenes and made this story a bit more T-M rated. (2/24/12)

Edited: 5/3/13


	10. Chapter 10

**Beach Interlude Repost**

**~Chapter 10~**

* * *

As Hinata reclined against him in the lawn-chair she watched the waves as they broke along the shore. The sun was just beginning to set and the colors in the sky were simply breathtaking to her.

She glanced out of the side of her eye to see if he noticed it and saw he was staring out in the distance deep in thought.

A soft smile spread over her face as he looked her way. She was finding no matter how deep in thought he was, he still seemed to be aware of her too.

Apparently he was very good at multi-tasking.

"Isn't the sky lovely, Itachi?" She breathed out as she snuggled the side of her face into his chest.

Itachi took a deep breath before he scanned the sky and realized after being practically blind for so long, he would never take for granted his vision again. To him the scene before him was more than just beautiful, it was nothing short of miraculous.

His eyes darkened with worry and unconsciously his arms tightened around her slightly as he knew he would have to leave soon. Not wanting to upset her or ruin the time they had left, he forced himself to relax and enjoy the sunset with her.

* * *

She set their plates on the table and was pouring them some tea when he came in the room and sat down across from her.

"Thank you Hinata, it looks good," he said quietly in a distant sounding voice.

"You're welcome," Hinata told him as she looked over at him with troubled eyes. She could tell he was worried about something, but didn't think he would care for it too much if she tried to intrude upon his thoughts. As she calmly poured him some more tea, she knew she just needed to give him time to work through it.

After a few minutes of silence, Hinata felt his eyes watching her. She blushed as she saw them travel intimately over her face. Looking straight into his eyes, she could feel herself being drawn into the fathomless depths of them.

Under the table his foot slid over hers as the corner of his mouth twisted upward.

Hinata took a deep steadying breath as she knew where they would end up if she didn't say something now. His chakra system was still in bad shape and needed to be strengthened and healed, he also needed a breathing treatment.

"Itachi…" she began, her voice was slightly breathless.

He looked back at her patiently and a little amused, already figuring out that she was going to make him wait.

"When we are finished eating I would like to spend some time showing you some healing techniques for your eyes. Then I will give you a breathing treatment and heal your chakra system some more," she told him with firm eyes, that sort of reminded him of the way his mother used to look at him when he was younger.

"Okay, that sounds fine," he replied and looked off into the distance knowing she was right. He was still far from well.

Turning his attention back to the plate in front of him, he finished his dinner in silence.

Hinata could tell he still wasn't in the mood to talk so she let him eat in peace. She really didn't mind eating in silence, since that was what she was used to back at home. Talking at the dinner table was only allowed on special occasions, such as when they had guests or on holidays. All other days it was forbidden.

Turning her eyes outside, she looked at the moon as it shone over the darkened sky and lit up the waves below it and sighed.

_I never want to leave this place,_ she thought to herself as she turned to look at him.

Hinata was surprised when Itachi picked up her hand and gently kissed it. He put her hand down without saying anything and picked up his dishes and put them in the sink. She did the same and followed him into the living room.

The living room was a large room with an extra long burgundy colored couch with chairs that flanked it on either end. There was an elaborately carved table in the center of them.

After sitting down on the couch she began showing him the hand signs for one of the healing jutsus.

"This jutsu is not actually from my family, but more of a medical jutsu. It is called Healing Balm Jutsu. You can use this on your eyes or on other skin injuries too. I use it a lot when I work long hours at the hospital. My eyes get extremely strained and tired from using my Byakugan too much. This helps soothe them so my eyes recover faster," she explained as she began to form the hand signs and applied chakra to her hands before placing them over his eyes.

The chakra was amazingly soothing to his eyes. The green chakra glowed over his skin and eyes and gently removed all irritation and tiredness. It almost felt like cool, fresh water was flowing from an unknown source.

The jutsu reminded him a lot of Hinata.

When he came here he was almost broken in body and in spirit, but somehow she had healed much more than just his eyes and extended his life. He recognized she has also been a balm for his soul and his humanity.

He thought that when he killed his clan he had ripped all of his humanity out in order to complete his mission. She had shown him what he had known all along, that it was still there. If it wasn't, he would have killed his brother along with the rest of them on that day.

"Okay, now it's your turn," she told him as she removed her hands from his eyes.

"Remember, as you perform the jutsu, you need to pull a slight amount of moisture from the air as you apply the chakra to my eyes," Hinata reminded him softly.

He quickly made the hand signs and applied chakra to his hands and covered her eyes with them. Hinata leaned back against the back of the couch and relaxed as she felt the lovely healing chakra flood over her eyes. She knew she would only have to show him once before he could pick it up, even without his Sharingan.

Itachi performed the jutsu as if he had performed it a hundred times before. It all just came easy to him.

He watched as Hinata relaxed under his hands and realized it felt different to be able to heal. He was so used to people being afraid of him and his deadly Mangekyo Sharingan it was foreign for him to actually heal someone.

His thoughts turned to when he was younger and he used to wrap his brother's wounds and carry him home after training.

_Those days are long gone,_ he thought sadly and realized it wouldn't be long before he had to meet up with his brother…

Looking down at Hinata, he stopped the flow of chakra to his hands and laid his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back on the couch. Her eyes opened wide as she reminded him, "Itachi, we have other jutsu to go over and I still need to work on your lungs and chakra system."

"It will have to wait," Itachi told her firmly as he leaned her back and settled himself over her. Lowering his head toward hers, he began kissing her.

He needed her now.

As he slowly kissed her eyelids and her face, she sighed as it seemed to her; he was treating her almost reverently. Kissing and touching her with infinite tenderness, he was taking his time as if he was savoring every part of her.

Hinata allowed herself to relax underneath him and surrendered herself completely to his lovemaking.

_He is changing; he was not the same man he was when he came here, s_he thought as her eyes began to mist over_. _

After they were done_, _Hinata laid on the couch underneath him utterly relaxed and content. In her whole life, she had never felt such peace and contentment.

A small smile was on her face as she fell asleep in his arms. Lifting her up carefully, Itachi carried her into the bedroom. After he set her down she rolled over on her side and he laid down behind her and pulled her closer to him and before promptly falling asleep.

Hinata woke up around midnight because she was starving. Remembering the udon noodles and rice balls in the fridge and some of the salad leftover from dinner, she eased herself off the bed to go get some food and to put some clothes on. As she walked out to the living room, she blushed when she saw the clothing strewn all over the room.

Hastily picking up all the clothes, she put Itachi's back in his room. Then she went into her room and put a silk kimono on before heading into the kitchen to find those leftovers.

After she entered the room, she saw Itachi, still without any clothing on, casually opening the fridge.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she felt familiar heat begin to rush over her.

_He is going to drive me insane, s_he thought a little exasperated as she went to her father's closet to find him a robe.

Digging through her father's closet she found a large, black silk one and took it off the hanger.

As she walked into the kitchen she stopped and stared as he was standing next to the counter eating some rice and felt her insides become tangled up. His backside was facing her and his black hair was in a pony tail down his back.

He was more than just amazing; his body was strong, hard and perfect.

Hinata remembered back to when she was younger, how she used to watch how he walked. His walk was so full of confidence and natural poise. He wasn't arrogant, he was just confident. She had always admired him for the strength he naturally exuded. It was just part of who he was.

Her eyes opened wide in surprise and she stopped staring at him when his voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Are you enjoying the view?" He turned around and looked at her with one of his eyebrows raised.

Blushing profusely, she handed him the robe and said a little hesitantly, "Yes, I-I am. Y-you are perfect…or at least your body is, I can't help but stare. When I see you like that in front of me," she said with her head down as she looked at the floor.

He put the robe on and tied the belt around his waist. He put his hand under her chin and made her look at him.

"It's alright Hinata; I think you are perfect too," he whispered in her ear.

"Really?" She said surprised. She had always thought she was a little too curvy. The other girls she hung around, like Sakura and Ino were so thin.

"Yes, I do,." he told her as his eyes traveled slowly down over her telling her he liked what he was looking at.

Hinata felt her blush go all the way down her body.

"T-thank you," she stuttered slightly with a breathless smile.

When they were finished eating, they both went back to their rooms to get cleaned up and ready for bed. As Hinata examined herself in the mirror, she shook her head in denial.

"I still don't see it; I am not like the other girls. But if he says I am perfect then I am glad my breasts are like this," she said out loud to the mirror with new confidence. With her head held high and eyes straight ahead she walked into his room.

Itachi was sitting on the bed waiting for her with the light dimmed. Standing in front of him, she took a deep breath before untying the belt around her waist and she let the silk kimono fall in a pool around her feet.

As her eyes locked onto his he deliberately let his eyes travel over her slowly as she started to blush warmly before him.

He rested his eyes on hers again.

"Hai, you are perfect," Itachi told plainly as he reached out to her and she put her hand in his.

**Author's Note: 2/24/12 I fixed some minor errors that had been bugging me. Thanks for reading:)**

**Edited: 5/3/13**


	11. Chapter 11

**Beach Interlude Repost**

**Chapter 11**

* * *

_**Author's Note**__: Not much has changed from the original story in this chapter. I just cleaned it up a bit. Thanks so much to everyone who left me feedback, hopefully I can get some more time to update this and finish it up. Again, I apologize profusely for having Sakura (the whore) in my story and being nice to her. I freakin hate her, but I was left with no other options than to add her to the story. SORRY!_

* * *

Looking out into the distance Sakura could see the early morning sun as it glanced off of the water. She knew she was getting close and was looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation at the beach, or at least she hoped she would be able to.

Hinata's message was troubling and her secrecy and the fact that it came from a crow was even more so. Something was not right with her friend and she was going to find out why?

Hinata was being unusually secretive and that was just not normal for her. Sakura was glad that the Hokage gave her the time off with barely any questioning. Especially since she really didn't relish having to lie to her.

After finally locating the house and setting down her pack on the porch, alarm ran through her when a strong arm grabbed her from behind and she felt a kunai against her neck.

"State your business here?" Itachi asked her coldly as he shoved the point of the kunai closer against her skin.

"I-I am here to see Hinata," Sakura stuttered out nervously.

_Hinata__! _Her thoughts raced in fear. Soon concern for her friend turned her fear into anger.

"What have you done with my friend?... you had better not have hurt her!" She yelled out as her fists clenched menacingly.

He was about to answer her when the front door opened and Hinata yelled out in surprise, "Sakura!"

Hinata's eyes were pleading as she looked at him, "Please Itachi, let her go, she is my friend and…I trust her."

At the look in her eyes and the conviction in her voice, Itachi relaxed his hold a little on Sakura and removed the kunai from her neck.

A feeling of unease ran through him as he considered why Sakura was here, he looked over at Hinata and she turned away from him.

"What have you done?" He asked her tightly.

Hinata lifted up her gaze to his slowly and flinched when she could see he was very angry at her and a little hurt too.

"I-Itachi—please,…I-I only wanted to help," she stuttered out anxiously as her eyes pleaded with him to listen to her. "I was so scared when I saw you were coughing up blood and I gave you that sleeping drought… I drew some of your blood and took a sample of your medicine and I asked Kuroy to take it to Sakura to be analyzed," she confessed tearfully as her face crumpled before him.

Swallowing a painful lump in her throat, her eyes were desperate yet shined with the truth as they begged him to understand her actions.

At his stony silence toward her, Hinata became even more upset. "Itachi-I didn't ask her to come here...I just wanted to keep you from dying."

Itachi released Sakura and stepped away from her. Sakura immediately ran over to her distraught friend and put her arms around her.

Itachi's mind was reeling; he should have known Hinata would do something like this. She was too stubborn and soft-hearted for her own good, especially when it came to the people she loved. He realized he had miscalculated badly by giving her the crows, in doing so he gave her the means to betray him.

_Damn it_. His mind began to consider all of his options and he found he wasn't pleased with any of them. He knew he should have left here before he got too involved with her, now he was paying a price for his moment of weakness.

Now he was left with a very unwelcome choice, either kill Hinata and her friend or involve them in his mission…

Looking down at Hinata and seeing the misery on her face as she sobbed painfully in the arms of her friend, he knew what had to be done.

"Hinata, come here," Itachi told her unemotionally as he reached out to her.

Hope shined on her face as she took his outstretched hand and launched herself into his arms. "Itachi—I'm so sorry."

He put her away from him and placed his hands around her face and made her look at him.

"You should have listened to me; I was trying to protect you," he told her with a sigh. "There are things about me that you do not understand. Now you have put not only all three of our lives at risk you have also endangered the life of my brother as well…you leave me no choice, both of you follow me," he explained to them inexplicably before opening the door and walking into the house.

Stunned, they both looked after him with shocked looks on their faces. This was not the reaction either of them expected and they stood up and followed him into the house.

As they came through the door, Sakura whispered to her friend fiercely, "How do you know him? He is a member of Akatsuki and Sasuke's brother!"

Hinata looked down at the ground and replied, "Hai, I know who he is. He is all those things, but he was also my betrothed when I was younger. Itachi and I grew up together and I s-still care about him and trust him."

"Sakura, please help him, I-I don't want him to die," she pleaded with her friend as worried tears slid down her face.

Sakura looked at her friend and now she knew _he _was the secret her friend had always kept from her.

"Hinata, I will see what I can do, but I will not betray Konaha!"

Nodding her head in understanding and eyes shining with gratitude, Hinata grabbed her friend's hands.

"I understand, thank you Sakura," Hinata said warmly as she followed Sakura into the living room.

After they sat down, he formed several hand signs and placed a sound barrier around the house. He could not take the chance that they would be overheard.

Surprised, they both looked at him with eyes full of curiosity.

Sakura felt a little unnerved when Itachi turned toward her and stared at her with brutally sharp eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate her soul.

"You were once my brother's team-mate right?" He asked her finally after several long moments of staring at her in silence.

"Hai," she said with a frown as she wondered where he was going with this questioning.

"How far would you go to protect my brother?"

"I would do anything for him. Naruto and I have been searching for him for years. We have risked everything on several occasions to try to bring him home to us!" She said fiercely.

He looked her eyes and saw the truth within them. Her reaction confirmed what he had learned over the years from spies he had in place in Konoha.

Both Naruto and Sakura were almost obsessively loyal towards his brother.

"I will trust you, but if you betray me, I will have no choice but to eliminate you. The same goes for you Hinata," he said firmly as he turned towards her.

Breathing out anxious breaths of air they didn't even know they were holding, Hinata and Sakura looked at each other before answering slowly, "Hai, we understand."

Itachi leaned forward a little towards Hinata as he softly said, "Hinata, do you remember what I said to you the day before I left the village?"

_Of course, how could I ever forget it? S_he thought as she still remembered every bit of that conversation vividly.

She nodded her head yes.

"The time has come for me to explain why I had to eliminate my clan. If you will remember, I was made Captain of my ANBU squad at the age of 13. Over time, I was given orders to spy on my clan. My clan was planning a coup d'état to take over Konaha. I was ordered by the Third Hokage and the council of Konaha to eliminate the entire clan," he said as he heard them draw in their breaths in surprise.

He continued on as they looked at him in shock. "During that time I had been receiving training from Madara Uchiha, one of the original founders of Konaha. He had been presumed dead, but had found a way to become immortal. He had wanted an opportunity to have revenge against his clan, so he offered to help me purge my clan. I agreed to allow him to help me if he would promise not to attack Konoha and spare my brother's life. I also agreed to join Akatsuki and help him accomplish his goals."

He continued, "I have been a double agent for several years now. It has been too risky for me to contact anyone in Konaha, but your actions and some of your words have convinced me that another path may be open to me," he looked at Hinata who stared back at him with eyes full of compassion.

"I do not believe I was poisoned by accident, Madara clearly wants me out of the way and has his sights set on Sasuke. I do not know what he wants with my brother but I will do everything I can to protect him," Itachi told them as he ran his hand through his hair.

After staring out as though in thought, he turned toward Sakura.

"Sakura, I would like to arrange a meeting with the Hokage. I will give you the location and details of the meeting before you leave. She should be aware of my mission, as she has access to all of Konaha's secrets left to her by the Third Hokage."

His eyes became firm as his gaze pinned down on both of them.

"This information is an S rank secret and sharing any of this information would be considered treason and you could be executed. Plus it would put not only my life but the lives of many others, including my brother, Sasuke, in danger. My illness has made it impossible for me to complete my mission alone. I need your help so that I may continue to protect Konaha and my brother. Everything I have sacrificed, I have done for them," he looked over at Hinata and said softly, "and for you."

Unable to contain her emotions, Hinata stepped into his arms.

"I always knew it had to be because of ANBU you killed your clan. You wouldn't have done it for any other reason," she sobbed. "I am sorry you had to tell us, I know you don't want to put me in any danger. Please let us help you… with our help and Lady Tsunade we can find a cure for your illness. I don't care if I die or get hurt trying to help you, do you understand," she said with quiet firmness as she looked him in the eye.

"Well I do care and I will not allow anything to happen to you. We will have to be very careful to not make my organization suspicious of you and Sakura or you both could end up dead," he said in his emotionless voice.

Sakura got up from her chair and took out the vials of blood and the serum she had tested.

"Itachi, I would like to let you know that I will do anything to save your brother. For his sake, I will help you. However, I must have your promise to not harm Naruto. Your organization has been after him for a few years and I will not be a part of anything that will put his life in danger. He is my team-mate and I will not allow anyone to hurt him," she said forcefully.

"I will not harm him, as a matter of fact, I have been watching over him," he explained to her calmly. "If I had wanted to capture him, he would be caught by now."

Sakura looked at him shocked. She had thought he had been trying to capture him all this time.

"Thank you Itachi, I will help you."

Hinata was sitting on his lap and still had a death grip on him.

"Um, Hinata," he whispered to her. "You can loosen your grip on me a little, I am starting to lose feeling from the waist down."

Releasing her hold on him, she looked a little sheepish as she tried to stand up. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her back onto his lap.

Sakura looked over at the two of them and smiled a little. _Itachi sure does look a lot like Sasuke, s_he thought a little enviously. Deciding to give them some time alone, she picked up her pack and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

"Hinata, come with me," he told her as he stood up and pulled her by the hand toward his bedroom and shut the door behind them.

His face was grave as he looked down at her. "I guess our time is coming to an end. Do you understand now why I didn't want to get you involved? When I first came here I knew I was dying and I planned to keep myself alive long enough to let Sasuke find me so he could kill me and allow me to transfer my powers to him. If I cannot be cured of this poison I will still go ahead with my plans. It will be the only way I will be able to help him," he told her reluctantly with a sigh.

"Itachi, what if we can help you live?" She asked him in a quiet voice tinged with desperation.

"Then everything will change."

**Author's Note:** Thanks for reading! I just want to clear up that I am aware of recent manga chapters that clearly show Itachi's desire to keep the fact that he was ordered to execute his clan a secret. However, for this story, it is necessary to bend that a little, so the plot will work. Thanks.

Edited: 5/3/13


	12. Chapter 12

**Beach Interlude Repost**

**Chapter 12**

* * *

****Warning: Mature content, no kiddies or young teens please.****

"Okay, tell me everything," Sakura demanded as she flopped down on the plush bed in the delightful room Hinata had put her in. A look of longing came over her face when she saw the huge Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom connected to her room.

Sitting next to her friend, Hinata breathed out a ragged sigh as she looked at her with clouded eyes. "I am sorry I got you involved in all of this, I just didn't know who else to contact. I was just so worried..." she put her face in her hands and began sobbing quietly as the emotional strain of the last few days caught up to her.

Sakura immediately sat up and put her arm around her friend and looked at her with knowing concern. "You love him don't you?"

Hinata shot her a guilty look before sniffing and looking away. "Yes, I have loved him since I was five years old."

Sakura laughed a little bitterly as lifted emotional eyes toward the ceiling. "I know the feeling; I have loved Sasuke ever since we were all in the academy together."

Hinata picked up her hand and patted it as she knew only too well of her friend's unrequited love with Itachi's brother.

"There is something about those Uchiha men isn't there?' Sakura said wistfully. "I haven't seen Sasuke in such a long time, but I still love him as much as I did on the day he left. He thought I just had a girlish crush on him, but it has always been much more than that. I just love him; I can't seem to stop myself."

"What about Naruto, I thought you guys were going out?" Hinata asked her.

"We were, but he knows I still love Sasuke. I tried so hard, I really did try to make it work and be with him. I just couldn't; I only love him as a brother and a team mate," she said sadly. "It has worked out for the best, I think he and Ino will be going out, at least I am trying to bring them together."

"Hinata, what about you, I thought you liked Naruto?"

"I did, but it never was what I felt for Itachi. I have been in love with Itachi for most of my life. Our fathers had arranged for us to be betrothed when I was very young. He was such an amazing and powerful ninja even at that age. You heard him; he made ANBU at the age of thirteen! He always looked after me. He was one of the few people who could understand what it was like to be a clan heir, so we had a lot in common. After he murdered his clan and left the village I was crushed. I had to grow stronger so I looked to Naruto for inspiration. Naruto always made me feel happy when he was around. He also was so strong and never gave up. I thought I loved him, but I was wrong, because the minute I saw Itachi, I knew that he is the only one I am ever going to love." She said firmly with a soft smile tugging at her lips.

"Hinata, please be careful." Sakura cautioned.

"I am Sakura," Hinata replied seriously. "I entered into a relationship with him knowing full well the risks I took. It is a little like playing with fire, but he is worth it," she said with a gentle smile as she looked to the main house.

"Hinata, I still do not fully trust him, but for your sake and Sasukes' I will try. We should not keep him waiting any longer. I want to talk to both of you about his condition," she said firmly.

"Okay," Hinata said as she opened the door and walked back towards the kitchen.

Itachi looked up when he heard the girls come through the door. "Itachi, I need to speak to you about your medical condition. I analyzed the poison; it is refined from metals and something else I cannot identify. It is insidious in that it absorbs into your tissue, in your case it appears to be destroying your lungs as well as your liver. The medicine you have been taking appears to be very potent. It is a type of antidote that absorbs some of the poison and in most cases of poisoning it would have been an effective cure. In your case it has been keeping you alive and giving you some strength. The poison in your body appears to be multiplying at a very slow rate. Whoever poisoned you did not want you to die quickly, but wanted you to linger painfully." Sakura explained sadly.

Itachi's jaw clenched as he looked out the window for a minute before responding, "I know, the bastard was sending me a message. This poison was his way of getting me out of the way so he can get a hold of my brother."

Hinata sharp intake of breath, alerted him to her growing distress. He reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Sakura, do you think you can help him?" Hinata looked over at her with huge eyes.

"I am going to do my best," she said firmly with a look of determination in her eyes.

"Itachi, it is quite a delicate procedure. I will need to use chakra to absorb the poison. The operation is very painful; we may have to sedate you, because it is important for you to remain still while I draw out the poison," Sakura continued.

"Fine." He made a few hand signs "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," he said firmly as an exact copy of him appeared next to him.

Sakura's eyebrows raised a little. "You are not very trusting are you?"

"No, I am not," he looked over at Hinata when he said this letting her know he is not exactly feeling very trusting of her right now.

Accepting his censure yet hating it at the same time, Hinata eyes were solemn as she looked down. She took a step closer to him and looked up at him. "Itachi, we will not let you down," she promised him with unshed tears of worry forming in her eyes.

Itachi stared down at her for a few moments before releasing a bent up breath. "I know."

Knowing instinctively that he was relenting somewhat, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly to her and whispered softly. "I'm so sorry, Itachi."

They were starting to make Sakura to feel a little uncomfortable so she started gathering supplies. "Um, Hinata, come on we have no time to lose. This procedure is going to take a while," she reminded her friend in a firm voice.

"Okay, what do you need me to do?" Hinata complied as she blushed and moved out of the circle of his arms.

"I need to you gather several pans or large bowls. They will need to be sanitized and I will also need a few buckets or something to put the poison in once it is drawn out. Those ones do not need to be sanitized," Sakura directed. "Oh and Hinata, I need you to find some clean sheets we can place under him."

"Itachi, if you don't mind I would like to examine you before I start? Do you mind lying down so I can get a look at you?"

With his clone watching them closely he obeyed her and laid down on the bed.

"You are lucky you found Hinata, no one has eyes as developed as hers. I do not know how she did it, but she developed almost a new form of Byakugan. All by sheer hard work and determination," she said in an admiring tone as she watched Itachi's face closely.

"Yes, I know, I was fortunate in more ways than one when I found her here," he said quietly and closed his eyes.

"If she gets hurt because of you..." Sakura began to threaten him and her fist tightened dangerously.

"I will not hurt her."

His tone was so matter of fact and she could tell by looking at the two of them that he would never hurt Hinata, she felt some her wrath diminish. Leaning over him, she listened to his chest. After a few moments passed, she noticed that his heart was still pumping blood very strongly. "Your heart sounds strong, that is excellent," she said to him. Next she listened to his lungs and noticed they were a bit wheezy sounding, like they were blocked and possibly constricted.

"Hinata is right; it is your lungs that are being attacked by the poison. While I am drawing out the poison I will need her to watch to make sure I remove all of it." Sakura made her hands glow with chakra as she did a quick diagnostic check over him. She could tell his chakra network had been compromised, but she noticed most of it had been repaired. Hinata had done an excellent job in stabilizing him.

As she checked by his liver she also could detect some of the poison. I _will have to spend the majority of her time removing the poison from those two areas, _she mused to herself_._

When they had gathered all of the supplies, Sakura pulled out a syringe and drew out some serum out of a bottle. "Itachi, this will put you to sleep for a while, you may feel some pain, but I am sure it is nothing you can't handle."

He nodded. Hinata, leaned over and kissed his mouth gently. "We will take good care of you." He relaxed a little bit, just hearing her soft voice was calming to him.

Sakura looked over at her friend, "Hinata, I will need you to rotate pans for me to put the liquid in. I will also need you to keep checking with your Byakugan to see if I have removed all of the poison. Do you have any questions?" She asked before they got started.

Hinata looked over at the solution that Sakura made with unsure eyes. "Yes, how will you use the solution to absorb the poison?"

"I will make the solution form a bubble out of chakra and push it through his body. It draws the poison out wherever I apply it. I used this technique to save Kankurro a while ago, when Gaara was captured." She explained confidently. _I just hope it works on this type of poison__,__ s_he thought to herself a little nervously.

Hinata looked at her talented friend and thought to herself. _I knew I did the right thing, if anyone can save him it is her._ They both looked down at Itachi and saw he was sleeping.

"Okay, let's do this," Sakura said strongly with determined eyes.

"Right." Hinata nodded back.

Hinata activated her Byakugan while Sakura placed her hand over the bowl of solution. She absorbed the solution on her hand with her chakra until it turned into a giant bubble. Extracting the bubble carefully, she placed it over Itachi's chest before lowering it down until it was barely visible. Maintaining her concentration she lifted focused eyes towards her friend.

"Hinata is it lifting up the poison?"

She shook her head no; her confidence was beginning to ebb rapidly. "Sakura it is not working. What are we going to do?"

"Don't worry Hinata, we will come up with something," she reassured Hinata with pseudo calmness. DAMMIT_! _Inner Sakura was yelling.

"Hinata, I am going to try to apply some additional chakra to try to draw it up," Sakura told Hinata and prayed that it would work.

"Sakura, this might not work, but you did say the poison was made from metal. What if we added magnetic chakra to the bubble?" She said in an unsure voice as an idea occurred to her.

Sakura stared out in the distance for a moment as she considered the idea.

"Hinata, that sounds crazy enough that it might work. We will have to be very gentle so the magnetic chakra does not break the bubble," Sakura said with a daring glint in her eye.

"Sakura, I have been using my Byakugan to clear out his airways and break up the chakra. Let me give him a breathing treatment first, maybe it will make it easier to draw it out," she said as she looked at Sakura hopefully.

"Okay, I am going to make another pan of solution while you do that and we will try again," Sakura told her as she lifted the pans of water and began carrying them into the kitchen.

"Byakugan." Hinata made her hands grow green while she leaned over his chest and applied her chakra finely to the black substance in his lungs making it break apart and become loose.

As Sakura came in with two more pans of solution, Hinata backed away from him and looked at her friend. "I think I broke it up some, it should be easier to absorb it now," she said hopefully.

Sakura put her hand back in the solution and drew a determined breath. "Okay, let's try this again."

Hinata reactivated her Byakugan and watched her friend slowly lower the chakra bubble into Itachi's chest. After several tense moments she lifted her eyes to her friend and breathed out a ragged breath.

"Sakura, it is working!" She said with excitement glowing in her eyes.

Hinata could see the bubble slowly drawing out the poison. It took a lot of concentration for Sakura to keep the bubble and the magnetic chakra from becoming disrupted so she didn't respond to her friend.

"Sakura, it is becoming full, you need to lift it up," Hinata instructed her.

Sakura lifted it up and placed in one of the buckets. She could see some of the poison in the bottom of the bucket. "Hinata, you are brilliant! We make a great team," she said loudly. Hinata cheeks were warm as she stared down at Itachi's face, her eyes were full of hope.

"Okay, let's do this again," Sakura said firmly as she put her hand back in the solution.

* * *

Three hours later, they were exhausted but quietly confident that most of the poison was gone. With each drop of poison that was lifted from him, Hinata shoulders began to feel lighter. She knew because of the slowness of the poison that even without an antidote at this point he would at least live longer.

"Okay, this is the last one," Sakura said as she dumped the bubble into the pan.

A soft smile graced her face when Hinata leaned over Itachi and woke him up. "Itachi, we did it. It took us a long time but we removed most of the poison from your system."

Opening up his heavy eyes slowly, he lifted them up towards her and thought she looked radiant. He just hoped she wasn't getting her hopes up, he knew he wasn't completely cured yet.

"Thank you Hinata," he rasped out before closing his eyes again in exhaustion.

Bubbling over with joy and exhaustion, Hinata went over to his shadow clone and kissed him hard before she disrupted him with her gentle fist. She laughed a little as the tension in her body began to dissipate completely before going to her room and collapsing on the bed.

Waking up a few hours later, Hinata could tell by the sun it was late afternoon and she needed to make some dinner for everyone. She wasn't sure if Itachi was going to be able to eat so she made some broth for him. For her and Sakura she stir fried some chicken and vegetables and added some rice noodles. Using some of the chicken broth and soya sauce for seasoning.

Seeing there was some left over rice, she also made some rice balls for breakfast. Even though she was still pretty tired, she felt so much better knowing that if Sakura can find an antidote, Itachi will be completely cured. Closing her eyes, she took a deep sigh of relief and dared to hope that he would live.

Sakura came through the door looking groggy, after waking up from her nap.

"Sakura, if you would like to go swimming or go in the hot tub, I have extra swim suits if you need one?" Hinata offered.

"That's okay, I brought one," Sakura replied. "I think I will go look in on our patient."

"Okay, I should caution you though, do not sneak up on him or you will have a kunai at your neck again," Hinata warned.

"Can you blame him, Hinata, Akatsuki is no walk in the park. If you remember, I helped kill one of them," she told her and shuddered when she remembered how deadly and scary that fight against Sasori was.

Sakura entered his room carefully; and noticed he was awake and looking at her.

"Itachi, do you mind if I examine you and do a breathing treatment on you. Your lungs probably are sore; I can help the pain and make it more comfortable for you to breathe," she said calmly.

He nodded. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his lungs. "Your lungs already sound less constricted. In a few days you should feel much better. I will have Hinata check your chakra system out to make sure it is all healed before you leave."

"Sakura, thank you," Itachi said unemotionally as he stared up at her. "I will not forget this."

Sakura blushed a little, _those eyes of his remind me so much of Sasuke's, s_he thought to herself.

"You're welcome," Sakura replied formally as she cleared her throat. "Itachi, even though we removed most of the poison, we still need to find an antidote to neutralize the poison that is still in your system. When I go back to Konoha, I will do all that I can to find an antidote for you," she promised him as she applied chakra to her hands and started his breathing treatment.

When she completed the treatment she went to leave when his voice stopped her.

"Sakura, I need to talk to you about the meeting I wish to set up with Lady Tsunade. I would like to send a letter with you when you return. I will discuss this with both you and Hinata at dinner tonight."

Intrigued, Sakura looked back at him, "Okay, dinner is almost ready," she told as she stepped away from him and walked towards the door. "I will go see if Hinata needs any help."

Hinata was already setting the table. "No, I am fine, please sit down and I will serve you," she said with a kind smile towards her friend. "Sakura, you were so amazing today. I am so grateful to you. I haven't learned that much about poison extraction yet. I am definitely going to ask Lady Tsunade give me more training on it when I return."

"If you like, I could give you some training," Sakura offered.

"I would like that, thanks."

Sakura's eyes grew big when she saw the huge plate of food Hinata placed in front of her. "Hinata, that looks really good, I forgot what a wonderful cook you were," she said and immediately began tucking into it. Her chakra was depleted and she was starving.

"Thank you, I am going to go check on Itachi," she went to go find him.

"Itachi, are you hungry?...Eep!" She said as she came in his room and strong arms came around her. "Hinata, I received all the memories back from the shadow clone I created. I am very impressed with you and Sakura. Both of you worked very hard to help me and I am grateful to you," he said as he kissed the top of her head.

"However, when I received the part where you disrupted my clone, I almost felt a little jealous."

She smiled.

"I will deal with you later about that one," he whispered in her ear.

Sakura watched as the two came through the door. _Hinata sure seems different since she came here. She seems more confident. He has been good for her. I just hope she doesn't get killed for associating with someone like him, s_he thought to herself as a worried frown grew on her face.

Itachi went to the back door while Hinata dished him up some broth and hot green tea. When he opened the door, Kuroy flew in and perched on the back of a chair. "Itachi-sama, we have been keeping an eye on the perimeter and we have seen no one in the area," he said in his scratchy voice.

"Thank you Kuroy, please continue to patrol the area, it is important to keep Sakura's visit a secret."

"We will keep you informed if anyone breaches the property-line." Kuroy told him.

"I will have Hinata bring you all some food later," Itachi promised before Kuroy flew away.

Itachi went to the table and sat down, "Hinata I would like you to keep checking the area around the house as far as you able to check for spies. So far the birds have not spotted anyone in the area."

"Oh, I have already been doing that since Sakura came here," she informed him with a delicate shrug of her shoulders.

Impressed, his eyebrows went up a little. "Well done."

Hinata dished herself up a plate and sat down with them. Itachi's eyes were grave as he looked at Sakura and stated seriously. "Sakura, I need you to go back to Konoha tomorrow and give Lady Tsunade a letter from me. Before you go I will give you the location of the meeting. It is important she does not let anyone know she has left Konoha, especially not Danzo. Konaha has many spies; she will need to be disguised as another ninja going on a short mission and someone she trusts will have to henge to look like her."

"There are a few people I would like for her to bring with her. I will list them in the letter. I would like for you to be one of them. Hinata and I will go to the meeting area before you and will give you access when you arrive. We will meet you in three days at noon from today. You will need to tell her to do not bring any ANBU black ops or if she brings anyone besides the ones I have listed, I will consider her actions to be a breach of my trust and will cancel the meeting and revert back to my original mission," he told her with a firm and determined look on his face. "If she betrays me, I will save my brother on my own and do my best to keep Konaha safe without any assistance from any of you."

"Itachi, what assurances can I give her that you are trustworthy?" She asked him cautiously and felt a little over her head with him. She still couldn't believe her and Hinata were trusting a member of Akatsuki!

"I am risking my mission and my life to meet with her. If Madara finds out about it, he will kill me and any protection I have bargained for Konaha will be removed and I will no longer be able to return to Akatsuki to keep an eye on them. Not only am I risking exposure, I am also putting my brother's life at risk. I promise you, I will not harm anyone unless they attack me first. Then I will have no choice but to protect myself," he warned her in a deadly serious voice.

"Itachi, I will do my best to see that she attends and follows your instructions exactly." Sakura promised him. "I do not want to place Sasuke's life at risk…I will do it for him."

Hinata put her hand on her friend's shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Thank you Sakura, I promise you he will not betray us," she said softly.

_I sure hope you are right Hinata, _Sakura thought to herself.

After dinner, Itachi still felt tired. Hinata did another breathing treatment and Sakura gave him some medicine for the pain and he went to bed. Sakura and Hinata went down to the beach to watch the sunset.

"Sakura, I am sorry you weren't able to stay longer. I know you probably need some time off, but after what he revealed to us, I think you should return home right away," Hinata advised her friend seriously.

"I agree, I also want to try to find an antidote for Itachi or the poison that is still in his system will multiply again and he will be near death again within six months to a year," she replied as she stared out over the ocean.

"Thanks Sakura, your help means a lot to me," Hinata told her as she placed her hand around hers.

When the girls returned they put on the swim suits and went out the heated pool. They swam and splashed around for a while and just talked. Itachi came out to the patio wearing gray swimming trunks with a towel wrapped around his shoulders. After setting his towel on the chair, he stretched out lazily before stepping into the hot tub and sunk beneath the hot water and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile in the pool Hinata and Sakura had stopped mid-sentence and were staring at him…

Sakura turned to Hinata, "he is soo hot!" she whispered loudly her as she waved her hand in front of her chest.

Hinata nodded, "I know." She looked up at the hot tub and saw his dark knowing eyes were watching them. Blushing hotly as she looked away in exasperation, she thought just once she would like to stare at him without him catching her in the act.

"Hinata, I am going to go to my room and soak in the Jacuzzi tub. I will see you both in the morning," she told her feeling like a third wheel as she started getting out of the pool.

"Okay, I will make you breakfast before you leave in the morning..." Hinata said distractedly to her friend as her eyes stayed on Itachi. Stepping out of the pool, she walked over to the hot tub.

"How are you feeling Itachi?" She asked him in a concerned voice.

"Better, my breathing has improved," he responded quietly before taking a deep breath and was surprised how painless it was.

"I'm glad," Hinata told him as she stepped into the hot tub and moved closer to him.

Tangling her hand with his, they just enjoyed the warm water and each other after a long stressful day. It wasn't long before it was completely dark outside.

"Let's go to bed," he told her after he had caught her yawning a few times.

She gave him a sleepy smile before taking his outstretched hand and following him out of the tub and back into the house.

After Hinata got ready for bed, she entered his room wearing a nightgown. Her eyes were so tired she could barely keep them open.

"Goodnight Itachi," she told him apologetically as she turned off the light and slid into bed next to him and kissed him lightly on the shoulder.

"Goodnight Hinata," he responded as turned on his side and spooned her against him. She snuggled her back closer to him before falling asleep.

A couple of hours later he woke up when his stomach was growling. Lifting himself slowly out of the bed so he wouldn't wake up Hinata, he went out to the kitchen to find a snack.

Hinata woke up when she started to feel cold. Moving her hand over his side of the bed she found he wasn't there. _He probably went to get a snack;_ she thought to herself and decided to go join him.

Entering the kitchen a tender knowing smile came over her face when she saw him by the counter, naked as usual, eating leftovers off the platter. _It is a good thing I put Sakura out in the guest room outside of the main house__, _she thought with amused relief.

"Did you save some for me?" She asked him with a grin. He pushed the platter towards her. Pulling out some chopsticks out of a drawer, she began to share the leftovers with him.

After they were finished they went to their bathrooms to brush their teeth. When she came back to his room, he was lying on the bed in only shorts bathed in moonlight.

Lifting her eyes toward the stars before resting them back on him, Hinata silently thanked them and all of the deities she knew of, for giving her a small miracle today. Not only was he recovering, but he also didn't hate her. That in itself was a miracle to her as she knew he was not a person who trusted or forgave people easily and… she _did_ knowingly betray him by contacting Sakura.

Her heart wanted to sing with joy and gladness for the second chance he had given her.

"Come back to bed, Hinata," Itachi invited as he lounged back against his pillow and was watching her with warm eyes as she stood near the bed.

Hinata drew a shaky breath in anticipation as she knew what that tone of voice meant.

_Oh Kami_, her mind exalted, she had been hoping he felt good enough to…well...

"Alright," she told him and demurely climbed into the bed next to him. It was still strange for her to be actually sharing a bed with him every night.

"Y-you just had a very invasive procedure d-done on you today…maybe, we should wait until tomorrow…" Hinata began weakly trying to be considerate as she felt him begin pulling her closer to him.

"I'm fine," Itachi told her with a warm gleam in his eyes.

_Oh thank you Kami_, Hinata thought with gratitude, she wanted him so much.

Restraining herself from hauling him to her so tightly he couldn't breathe, her natural reserve and shyness caused her to wait for him to make the first move as she lifted her eyes towards his.

"Are you still tired?" Itachi asked her as he drifted closer to her.

Mesmerized, Hinata stared at the firm sensual mouth slowly descending toward hers. "No," she whispered back.

His lips brushed over hers. "Good," he told her before his lips covered hers and coaxed her mouth open, their tongues tangling and caressing. Hinata felt herself shift as he moved himself half over her and felt her head sink into the mattress beneath her...

* * *

After they were done feelings of love and tenderness tightened her throat as she moved along side of him and snuggled against him and reveled in the feel of the steady beat of his heart and the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed almost freely.

Lifting her eyes to the window, she looked out at the stars shining brightly and prayed for another miracle, one that was permanent…a future together with him and hopefully with children.

**Author's Note**: I apologize for being so slow to update this story. I mean, it is already written and it is just a matter of reformatting and rewriting some scenes. One of the problems is that I f'ing hate Sakura and every time I sat down to update this chapter, I kept hating what I wrote and I would put it away. Anyway, I will try to get the other chapters out sooner. Just a few more to go and it will be finished. Thanks again for all of your support.

Edited: 5/4/13


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

* * *

**AN**: Still hating Sakura, sorry for this chapter, Itahina coming up in the next one…this chapter was necessary for plot development.

* * *

Looking at the ocean beyond the house in the early morning sunlight, Sakura sighed as she wished she could stay longer. It was so lovely and peaceful here. Lifting up her backpack she entered the main house to have breakfast and then begin her short journey back to Konoha.

As she entered the house she saw Hinata was busy preparing her breakfast and making her a bento box for the journey home. Hinata turned around and smiled cheerfully when she saw her friend.

"Good morning Sakura, I hope you slept well. Please sit down and I will bring you some breakfast."

"Thanks Hinata, I have a long trip ahead of me, I might as well sit down while I can," she replied with a grateful smile.

Sakura eyes glance up as Itachi walked through the door into the kitchen and immediately went to Hinata and put his arms around her and lightly kissed her neck. Hinata blushed and told him to take seat and she would get him some breakfast. Hastily removing her eyes from the couple, Sakura was a little shocked by their intimacy. While she knew Hinata loved him, she had no idea they were _that_ close.

As she looked at the table in front of her she decided she would keep her friend's secret and not report it to the Hokage. After all it was Hinata's secret to share not hers. _P__lease be careful Hinata,_ she worried as she glanced at her friend.

Itachi sat down at the table next to Sakura and set down a map in front of her. "Sakura I want to show you the location of the meeting. Please memorize the directions I give you as I do not wish to write them down." He showed her a town on the map that was about a half a day's journey southwest of Konoha.

"If you go about two miles past the town you will come to a field. Walk through the field and you will come to a large hill, it almost looks like a cliff. Find the center of it and do the following hand signs." He showed her the signs quickly.

He watched as she repeated the signs after him. He continued when he saw she knew them perfectly. "Slam your hand on the side of the hill and a door will open and you may enter. Hinata and I will be watching for you and if we see you early enough we will open the door for you," he explained as he looked at her.

"Okay, the directions should be simple enough," she said to him as he handed her an envelope.

"Here is the letter I want you to give to the Hokage. If you are captured before giving it to her, all you need to say is destruct and it will evaporate."

She looked at him and spoke firmly. "I will be careful, I promise you."

"I know you are a powerful kunoichi and can take care of yourself. However, I will be also sending you some help. I will be sending some of the crows with you. Kuroy is an excellent scout and will be able to watch for spies or if anyone is following you. Taka and Hato are excellent with genjutsu, they can make whoever looks them in the eye have amnesia and forget they ever saw you. They will help you return to Konoha safely."

"Thank you, I will send back word to you and Hinata after I speak to Lady Tsunade," she said quietly as she looked at both of them.

Hinata joined them at the table and looked at her friend. "Thank you Sakura, I know you will not let us down."

"Hinata, I promise I will do my best," she told her as she smiled back at her. _**Cha, damn straight we will, **_Inner Sakura yelled.

After breakfast, Hinata went outside and did a scan of the road back to Konoha with her Byakugan. "Sakura, it looks all clear. I do not see anyone for several miles."

Itachi was nearby in the garden feeding the crows some leftover toast and giving them instructions. Sakura went over to Hinata and gave her a big hug. "Hinata, I will not tell the Hokage about you and Itachi. It will be your secret to tell. Please be careful, I do not want you to get hurt," she said in a low, worried voice to her friend.

"I will Sakura, thank you," she said in a choked up voice. "Please be safe okay" Hinata said before her friend started walking away.

Itachi walked over to the girls. "Please be careful and thank you Sakura," he said quietly.

"I will, I promise." She smiled at both them and started walking home.

Itachi walked over to Hinata and put his arms around her and tucked her head against his chest. "She will be fine; she can take care of herself."

"I know she can, I am just worried something will go wrong."

"Come on let's go inside, we will need to get ready for our trip later tonight," she followed him in the house.

When they got inside she looked around in the kitchen to see what supplies they would need for their trip. "Itachi, I am going to run into town and buy some supplies for our trip. Do you need anything?"

"Actually, I do, would you mind buying me some more clothes?"

"How many sets do you need?"

"Two."

"I would go with you but I do not want anyone to see us together," he said with regret tinging his voice as he looked down at her.

"I know, I understand. I will be really quick."

He pulled her closer to him as if he didn't want her to leave him. Hinata blushed a little, as she was confused by his behavior. She was even more confused when he firmly set her away from him and strode into his room.

_I don't understand him at all sometimes,_ she thought as she went out the door started walking towards town.

Itachi went into his room frustrated. _She is making me soft; I can't allow this to happen or I will not be able to survive going back to Akatsuki_ He looked outside and saw that she had left, he summoned Washi.

"How may I assist you Itachi-sama," the crow asked.

"I need you to give a message to someone for me," Itachi told him. "Hai, I will leave now." Itachi gave him the directions and the message and watched as he flew away.

He went outside and performed the hand-signs that activated his ring so he was a hologram standing in front of Pein. He gave a small bow before reporting in.

"Leader, I have been convalescing near the ocean. I am nearly healed and will return back to the base in five days."

Pein stared hard at him for a long time. "I will be expecting you. I have work for you to do Itachi."

Itachi bowed again. "Understood, Leader, I will contact you upon my return to the base."

Pein nodded and Itachi turned his ring and cut the connection with Pein.

When Hinata was almost back to the house she saw Itachi standing away from the house talking to someone. I wonder who he is contacting, she thought to herself.

Fear raced through her as she knew who it was without even thinking about it. He was going back to Akatsuki soon and would be leaving her again. The thought was like a sharp pain that cut straight through her heart. Choking back fear and tears, she promised herself that she would not cry in front of him. At least that was what she was going to try to do.

She went inside of the house and put her packages down. She had bought him two sets of clothes. A black set and a blue set. After setting them in his room next to his backpack, she went out to the kitchen to put away the rest of the supplies.

_Why hasn't he come back in yet? _Hinata worried after he had stayed outside a long time. _He seems so tense today, is he worried about the Hokage or Sakura getting caught? _She released a long sigh before heading into her room to take a nap.

Itachi walked by the ocean for a while trying to gather his thoughts. He was an orderly man by nature, who made his plans well in advance. He was always preparing or figuring out complex situations in his head trying to stay a few steps ahead of the rest of the criminals in his organization.

There were many underlings and power hungry individuals who would love to take his place among the upper ranks. His life depended upon making wise and rational decisions based upon logic and cold hard facts. _So why am I acting with my heart instead of my mind,_ he castigated himself bitterly. Regret took hold of his mind as the thought of Hinata being in danger because of him and now with Sakura's involvement and Konoha, he began to feel uncomfortable like the situation had ballooned out of his control.

It was difficult for him to swallow; he was used to ordering his own path.

Opening the front door, he walked through the living room to the kitchen. He thought she might be sleeping in his room, but she wasn't there. Then walking in her room he found her fast asleep on her bed.

With lover's eyes he continued to stare at her. He couldn't help himself; he didn't lie to her when he told her he looked at her all the time. Her presence comforted him, just by being in the same room. Though he would never admit it, her love for him was always one of the constants in his life. It was one of the things that kept him sane since he had left Konoha.

_I love you too, Hinata_, he thought as he climbed on the bed next to her and tucked her in front of him and went to sleep.

* * *

Sakura knocked on the door of the Hokage's Office. Shizune opened the door surprised, "Hello Sakura, you are back early. I thought you were at the beach with Hinata?"

Sakura looked at her a little nervously, "I had to come back early. Is Lady Tsunade available to see me right now, it is very important."

"Shizune?" A voice behind her yelled, "Who is it?"

"Lady Tsunade, it's Sakura, she has returned early and would like to speak with you." Shizune said trying to keep her curiosity at bay as she looked behind her at the Hokage.

"Well, let her in, and go get me some sake." Tsunade ordered her.

"It is early in the afternoon, I will get you some tea my lady." Her assistant reminded her with an exasperated voice as she left.

Sitting down gingerly, Sakura wiped her palms on her dress. "Lady Tsunade, I have just left Hinata at her family's beach house on the shores of the Fire County," she said as she looked up at her boss.

"Oh yes, how is she doing? I am so glad she finally took a vacation, that girl works too hard." The Hokage said with a fond smile.

"Oh-she's fine." Sakura told her evasively before her eyes darted nervously towards the door. "I have something important to discuss with you. Would you mind if I closed the door and would you please place a sound barrier around the room. I do not wish this information to be overheard by anyone."

Tsunade looked intrigued. _This has got to be a doosy, if Sakura is acting all secretive like this._

"Fine." The Hokage nodded and placed a sound barrier jutsu around the room. "This had better be good Sakura," she warned her apprentice she leaned toward her slightly.

_Well, here goes nothing…I sure hope he wasn't lying to us or we are in big trouble_. Sakura thought to herself as she swallowed nervously.

"I went to go see Hinata because she has a friend staying with her that had been poisoned. She sent me some blood samples to be analyzed secretly so I decided to personally return them to her. So that way, I could help her and also spend some time at the beach with her… when I got to the beach house, Itachi Uchiha turned out to be the friend she was talking about."

"What!...No?...Hinata?" The Hokage exclaimed, caught somewhere between denial and shock. "Sakura what in the hell is going on?" She yelled, glaring at her apprentice.

Sakura began to quake in fear before her boss, "Well ma'am, I am getting to that. Hinata told me that when she was a child her father had arranged a betrothal contract between her and the Uchiha so she knows him very well." She gave Lady Tsunade a minute to absorb the information before she continued.

"Itachi claims to have been poisoned by Madara Uchiha and says that he is really on a secret mission to watch over Akatsuki. He also said that he was ordered to massacre the Uchiha clan by the council and the Third Hokage." She stopped as Tsunade raised her eyebrows at that last statement. And plunged on quickly, "He said that the Third Hokage should have left his successor information regarding him and his mission."

"Hmm, I do seem to remember vaguely about something like that," Lady Tsunade said as she put her hand to her mouth and looked to be deep in thought.

"Madara Uchiha…hmm, I thought he was dead?" She mused out loud to herself. "Shizune!" The Hokage roared.

"Damn, I forgot to remove the sound barrier...I think I am really going to need that sake after we get through this," she said as she shook her head and performed the jutsu to remove the sound barrier and yelled for Shizune.

Sakura who was sitting there was starting to agree with her.

Shizune came into the office with some tea when she heard Tsunade yell for her. _What does she want now?_ She complained to herself.

"Yes Lady Tsunade, what can I do for you?" She asked in a harassed voice.

"Sakura, I need you to step out while Shizune and I investigate the claims you have made. Wait in the hall until I need you to come back to give me the rest of the details," she said as she pointed to the door.

"Yes ma'am," Sakura said in a subdued voice as she went out to the hallway to wait.

Lady Tsunade put another sound barrier around the room before she spoke to Shizune in a voice under laden with excitement.

"Shizune, I think something big is about to happen. I need the key to the secret mission book and all of the Third's secret memos." As Tsunade's personal assistant and most trusted advisor she had access to all of the information that went through the Hokage's office. In fact, sometimes she felt she knew more about being a Hokage than Lady Tsunade did.

Shizune opened a secret compartment in the Hokage's desk and pulled out a little gold key.

"Oh, so that's where you get that key, I was trying to find it the other day," the Hokage said.

Shizune just shook her head.

They walked over to the wall of her office and removed a picture frame from the wall. There was a safe under it and Shizune used the key to open it and pulled out two old books and handed them to Tsunade.

The Hokage's face was gravely curious as she sat down at her desk and opened the first book with the title Secret Missions and flipped through it until she found the name Uchiha. Her eyebrows lifted when she read how several years ago the Uchiha clan had been meeting in secret and planning an uprising to take control of Konoha. Uchiha Itachi, Captain of ANBU Black Ops, had been assigned to spy on his own clan and report back to the council.

Stunned anger began to build in her as she continued to read how the Third Hokage tried to negotiate a more peaceful settlement to the uprising. But, Danzo, Homura and Koharu (Konoha advisors) all voted against him and ordered the massacre of the entire clan.

"_Those senile old bastards!" _Tsunade mind ground out and agreed with her former sensei. _Surely a more peaceful resolution could have been reached, than having the whole clan wiped out! _  
_  
_The Hokage continued reading how Uchiha Itachi refused to kill his own brother and offered to spy on Akatsuki if the council would spare his brother's life and keep the mission a secret. The Third Hokage agreed and gave his word to watch over Sasuke and not let him know about the clan's attempted coup d'état. She read that all the blame for the incident was to be placed on Itachi Uchiha and he was to be declared a missing nin.

_How convenient for them, I am sure everyone in Konoha would love to hear who really was behind the Uchiha clan massacre, those old bastards! _Her mind lashed out sarcastically.

"Shizune, read this section," she told her assistant with a harsh breath.

Shizune paled as she read it, "Lady Tsunade, I can't believe they did that. They should have at least let the women and children live. Why did everyone have to die? This whole thing makes me sick. I always knew that Danzo was an evil man, this proves it."

Upset, the Hokage read through all she could find about the incident. She next pulled out her former sensei's memos. And vaguely remembered reading through it when she first became Hokage, but she didn't remember reading anything about Itachi Uchiha. Her heart turned over fondly as she flipped through the memos and saw the familiar handwriting of her teacher. She thought of what a great man he was and how she wished he was still here to advise her. Impatiently she kept on searching until she finally found a memo with the name Itachi Uchiha on it.

Her eyes lit up when she finally found what she had been searching for…

_Regarding Itachi Uchiha, I much regret the order to have him massacre his clan. I was outvoted by Danzo, Homura and Koharu. I believe the decision to massacre the clan was influenced by an outsider. Mainly one Madara Uchiha. Itachi Uchiha claims he is the founder of Akatsuki and that he has obtained immortality. Though I have no proof regarding these allegations against Danzo, I do not trust him._

_After the order was executed, Itachi Uchiha came to me and told me how Madara had been about to take his revenge upon Konoha by attacking it with a neighboring village. When Itachi had made an agreement with Madara to let him help destroy the clan if he would leave Konoha alone. Itachi then pleaded with me to watch over his brother. He had no concerns for himself, only that his brother not be treated like a criminal and that I would protect him from Madara Uchiha and the council. He also had information that Orochimaru had joined Akatsuki and he promised to keep an eye on him for me. I agreed to his terms and he left the village after being declared a missing nin and joined Akatsuki._

_I have great respect for the young Uchiha as I had spent a great deal of time with him. Like me, he hates war and likes to resolve problems peacefully whenever possible. The will of fire burns strong in him. If he ever wishes to return to Konoha, allow him to do so and grant him a full pardon. If he does come back I recommend highly you get those old bags on the council to retire to keep the peace._

_Signed_

_Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Third Hokage_

Tsunade read the memo and felt the old man was giving her advice from beyond the grave. Setting the book aside, she made up her mind she was going to take the time and read through everything more carefully in the book tonight.

"Shizune, please have Sakura come back in and keep the sound barrier in place," she directed her assistant.

A bundle of nerves, Sakura's eyes kept staring at the door with increasingly trepidation as she waited. _Oh please, please let his story be true. _She kept thinking. _What reason would he have to lie us; he could have just killed both of us. Unless he was setting up a trap for the Hokage. _She worried and shook her head no_. I hope you are right Hinata, and he is trustworthy._  
_  
_After about an hour, Shizune opened the door and told her she could come back in. Sakura nervously sat back down on the couch in her office. The Hokage was visibly angry as she looked up at her.

"Sakura, he was telling the truth. He is on a secret mission to watch Akatsuki and he was ordered by the council to eliminate his clan," the Hokage told her in a serious voice.

Sakura let out a sigh of relief. _**Thank Kami**__! _Inner Sakura shouted.

"Sakura, I need you to tell me everything," her boss said as she placed her elbows on the desk in front of her and leaned forward.

Sakura told her about how she and Hinata healed him and she explained how she used magnetic chakra to remove the poison residue. The Hokage was very impressed with her students.

"Very good Sakura, you and Hinata have come a long way. I will have to remember that technique," she said as she shared an impressed glance with Shizune.

Sakura reached into her pocket and pulled out a sealed envelope and handed it to the Hokage. "Lady Tsunade, I was requested by Itachi Uchiha to give you this letter from him." Sakura explained to her boss with a little more confidence.

_"_He requests a meeting with you two days from now at a secret location. He gave me directions to the meeting place. Hinata will also be going with him and he told me he wanted only a few people to come with you and he named them in the letter. This meeting must remain completely secret, so his mission with Akatsuki will not be compromised. Itachi specifically requested that you do not inform the council of this meeting and he mentioned Danzo in particular." Sakura related firmly.

The Hokage leaned forward over her desk and opened the letter and began reading it.

_Lady Tsunade,_

_By now Sakura has filled you in about my mission and my illness. It had never been my intention to contact Konoha or ask for assistance. I have always intended to let Sasuke kill me to extract his revenge and to pass on my Mangekyo Sharingan and Jutsu on to him to help him survive. With the partial recovery of my health my plans have changed. I now seek to live and to pass on what information I have about Akatsuki on to you to help my brother and Konoha survive._

_I am in possession of details regarding a future attack upon Konoha, I would like to meet with you in secret to discuss plans to prepare for it. I would also like assistance from you in retrieving my brother back to Konoha. I will explain everything and provide a great deal of information to you at the meeting._

_I would like the following people to attend: Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara, Lord Jiraiya, and Naruto Uzumaki. If you bring any other additional people with you or I spot any ANBU I will immediately leave and consider you to have violated my trust. If you try to harm or capture me I will defend myself, I will not be unprepared._

_Lastly, I recommend that you hide your identity and leave under the cover of darkness, if possible. You should leave someone you trust to use a transformation jutsu to look like you so no one knows you have left the village, especially not Danzo or any of the council members. I am sure you are aware of this but Konoha has many spies for Akatsuki. You must be very careful. Sakura knows the location of the meeting, I will have Hinata with me and you will be given entrance to the meeting area when we spot you._

_Signed,_

_Itachi Uchiha_

Tsunade put the letter down and looked a little shocked as she could have never imagined these turn of events. She could have never dreamed that he of all people would be willing to help Konoha. Even though she knows she is taking a huge risk, after reading the Third Hokage's memo regarding his character she feels it is small enough to accept his offer.

"Sakura, do you trust him," she asked her while watching her carefully trying to discern her thoughts before she made a decision.

Her apprentice looked pensive for a moment and looked away before answering her. "I am not sure Lady Tsunade, he seems very concerned about saving his brother and Konoha. Hinata also knows him very well as they were close before he left the village. She seems to trust him completely. I think you should meet with him my lady, the benefits of an alliance with him, far outweigh the risks," Sakura advised gravely.

Her eyes opened wide as she remembered something else.

"Lady Tsunade I would like to request your help before we leave to find an antidote for the poison. Even though Hinata and I removed most of the poison from his system there is still a trace amount in his body. I have a sample of the poison with me and have some of its composition written down. As a good will gesture on our part it would be beneficial if we could bring the antidote with us to the meeting. We do not have to leave to go to the meeting until tomorrow evening?" Sakura requested with a hopeful expression on her face.

Tsunade looked down at her speculatively, "I will see what I can do."

_I hope Sakura didn't do something stupid like fall in love with him or something_. She thought to herself as she wondered why Sakura wanted to help him so badly.

"Sakura that will have to wait until later, right now I need you to contact Naruto and Shikamaru and have them come to my office immediately. I will send a frog to Jiraiya and have him meet us at the location," she ordered.

"Hai, Lady Tsunade. I will also send word of your acceptance to Itachi and Hinata using one of his crows." Sakura said as she walked towards the door.

Tsunade sat down and looked at Shizune with firm eyes. "I definitely need a drink and don't you argue with me. I just hope I am doing the right thing," she worried out loud as she opened her desk drawer and pulled out a bottle of sake from her secret stash along with a glass.

Shizune walked over to her desk and looked at her seriously. "I think you have to take this gamble, my lady, the stakes are just too high."

"You are right; maybe my luck is about to change," Tsunade replied with grim amusement before taking a long sip from her sake.

**Author's Note**: Here is another chapter for all of you. I just decided to get past my hatred of Sakura and just do it.

Edited: 5/3/13


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

**AN**: This chapter is blessedly Sakura-free and all Itahina...I am so glad. **Mature content: No kids or young teens please**

* * *

Sweet relief flooded her when she awakened and felt him wrapped around her back and the even sound of his breathing behind her.

_Maybe he is not mad at me after all_, Hinata hoped as she rolled herself over so she was facing him. Her eyes were soft as they roamed over his face as he slept and gently nuzzled his face with hers. Lifting her eyes over to his she saw he was awake and watching her.

Unable to read his emotionless eyes, Hinata went still and turned away from him.

"Are you… mad at me?" She asked a little hesitantly, her voice ending the silence between them.

"No."

Hinata released a deep breath as she felt some of the tension drain from her. "When do you have to go back to Akatsuki?" She asked with shadowed eyes and dreaded his answer.

"Five days from now," he said flatly as he continued to watch her with solemn eyes.

Paling at his words she closed her eyes so he wouldn't see the pain in them and turned away from him. Her body felt numb as she rubbed her hands tightly over her arms to ward off a chill.

In the back of her mind she had always known he would have to leave her and go back…to them. But in the haze of love and passion of the last few days, it had seemed like a future event and she had allowed her mind to be in denial. Now, to actually put a date on it made being separated from him seem so much more real…and painful.

_I refuse to cry in front of him,_ her mind ached as a tear slowly went down her cheek. Dashing it away from her face with the back of her hand she tried to get up from the bed but his hand stopped her.

"It is something I must do, Hinata." Itachi reminded her as he held her hand tightly and forced her to look at him. Looking up into his expressionless face she took a ragged breath as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

"I know, I-I am sorry for crying in front of you," she said in a choked up voice as she tried to maintain her dignity. She began to shiver, even though it was warm outside.

Itachi drew her into his arms and began to knead her neck and back and soften her taut muscles. A muscle clenched in his jaw as he held her against him.

"I'm sorry, Itachi…it's just that I… love you…so much," she admitted with a tortured sigh. "I don't want to lose you."

Itachi breathed out raggedly, even though he always knew she loved him, her words were like a balm to his soul. He dragged her up roughly against him as she began to tremble against him. Tears swam in her eyes as he began to kiss her hard and was for once, concealing nothing from her.

It was then that she knew he loved her as much as she did him. She broke away and stared at him in wonder.

"You love me?" She whispered to him in awe.

"Yes," he admitted as he pushed her back against the mattress, his eyes lingered over her face as her hair splayed out behind her stark against the white pillowcase. Her eyes drifted closed and her breath came out a sigh before his mouth settled on hers.

Tenderness flooded her as she placed her hands around his face as he kissed her with all defenses down. Raising himself on his elbows he lifted his mouth from hers and looked down at her.

As her eyes fluttered open slowly, Hinata's smile dawned like sunshine and warmth kindled her heart, spreading until every fiber of her being was filled with the knowledge that she was loved. The look on his face and the way he was watching her made her feel deliriously happy.

A teary laugh escaped her as she watched him begin to remove his shirt before lowering his mouth down to hers again…

It was a few hours before they were able to get up. With a sigh of irritation, Itachi finally picked her up and dragged her into the shower with him. After turning on the water, he squirted some shampoo in his hand and began to wash her hair. A smile played over her mouth as she kept her eyes closed while his hands lathered the soap throughout her long hair in a highly efficient and practical manner.

After she rinsed the suds out of her hair, he proficiently spun her around to rinse the rest of her off before washing his own hair. Her eyes watched him lean his head back under the spray of water to rinse the soap out of his hair.

Feeling a little tempted by the beautiful contours of his throat, she leaned forward and began to delicately kiss his chest and the hollows of his neck.

Hard eyes looked down at her, "Hinata, if we don't stop soon we will never get out of here."

"I know" she said as she looked at him and smiled.

With a small groan in the back of his throat, his hands clamped around her arms and he pushed her up against the wall and dragged his mouth over hers.

Half leaning against the wall and holding on tightly to his shoulders Hinata crushed her mouth against his as his mouth became hotly insistent and demanding. Holding her tight against his rigid body his hands cupped around her bottom and lifted her up against him before tearing his lips from hers and sliding his mouth down her neck to her breasts.

Feeling weak and limp with passion Hinata threw her head back against the wall as his tongue circled her breast while his other hand clamped her rigidly against him.

Heated excitement flooded her when felt him hook her leg around his back and looked down at her with hard passion filled eyes...

Her eyes opened wide when he entered her and her breath came out in a low moan. His hands were digging into her flesh as he pushed her against the wall. Her hands held on to him tightly and she felt almost faint as his hard length moved in and out of her with deep strokes.

Heat and water flooded over them as he cupped both hands under her and hooked both of her legs around him and he clamped her against him and exploded deep inside of her. Lowering her down but still intimately joined to her, Itachi kissed her gently with his hand behind her back as she melted weakly against him.

Lifting his mouth from hers with a ragged breath, he finally pulled her away and looked at her. She was stunning with her innocent, lavender colored eyes soft with passion and swollen mouth slightly open as she was still out of breath.

Helpless to stop it she smiled up at him and he covered her mouth again with his, before he noticed the water was beginning to get cold as it splashed down on them. And judging by the light coming through the bathroom window the sun was beginning to go down.

"It is time for us to go," he told her firmly as he stepped away from her.

"Alright," Hinata sighed with false reluctance as she rinsed herself off again. She felt amazingly satiated and very happy that at least they had some more time together. In her mind and heart she determined to make the most of them.

Itachi stepped out of the shower and waited for her to come out. Her eyes were shining with happiness as she stared up at him.

"Um…I think you are… incredible…" Hinata told him with a blush and a shy smile before leaving him alone in the bathroom as she headed to her room to get dressed.

"So are you Hinata," he said to himself softly as he watched her go.

Hurrying into her room, she quickly dressed in black pants and a black shirt. Strapping a kunai holster around her leg, she sat down on the bed and began to put on her socks and shoes.

A dazed smile hovered over her mouth as she thought about what just happened between them. It was all so intimate and passionate and so unexpected. What had started in comfort and friendship had turned into something deep and overwhelming.

Her eyes dimmed a little as she thought how there were still no promises between them, no commitments, it helped though knowing at least he loved her. Their situation was still too uncertain, the threat to his life and ambitions were still too dangerous to even consider a future together at this time. All she could do was to continue to hold on to the hope that it would all work out for them.

Focusing her attention on packing, she threw in a swim-suit, weapons, clothing and shook her head a little when she thought of how he was being his usual secretive self and wouldn't tell her anything about where they were going.

Looking around, she left most of her clothes and decided to come back here after he left her so she would have a few days alone before she had to return to her father. Glancing through her back pack, she was satisfied she had all that she needed for their trip, she zipped it up and headed out to the kitchen to prepare something to eat before the long journey ahead of them.

Earlier in the day she had bought them some fruit and sushi for them to take with them on the trip there. She made a quick noodle salad and tossed some vegetables and dressing on it and began to dish it up for both of them.

Glancing outside she noted it was dark outside; they should probably get going very soon. Even though the meeting would be held two days from now he wanted to get there early. A smile formed on her face as she thought of how he told her he had a surprise for her.

Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and casually kissed the side of her neck. "Are you ready to leave Hinata?" he asked her.

"Yes, but I wish you would give me a small hint about my surprise." She asked him hopefully.

"No, you will just have to wait until we get there." Itachi denied her in a firm voice.

After dinner, she did the dishes and wasn't long before she was locking the front door with a sigh, thinking how special their time there had been.

Itachi looked down at her with a look of understanding. "Maybe someday we can come back Hinata."

She looked up at him sadly, "I would like that." After activating her Byakugan and searching for people in the area she placed her hand in his and they started down the road.

Hinata activated her Byakugan again with a deep breath. They had been travelling off road through the trees for about six hours. He had set a very fast pace and she was having a hard time keeping up with him.

_I thought he was sick, how can he travel so fast? _She wondered to herself as she looked out as far as she could and did not see anyone in the area. Itachi had deployed the crows and they were flying in a perimeter around them. She looked up and saw Kuroy flying nearby and smiled as she thought, _I will have to make something special for all of them._

Itachi was a little ahead of her and moving very fast.

"Itachi?" She called out to him and watched as he stopped on a tree branch.

"Five minutes, then we leave."

Nodding her head tiredly she stopped next to him and pulled out her water bottle. After taking a long drink, she handed it to him. When he was done drinking he handed it back to her and she put it in her pack.

Even though she was tired she didn't complain, because she knew why he was pushing them so hard to get there. He didn't want them to be seen by anyone and he wanted to keep their identities secret. They both knew if Akatsuki found out about her, then her life would be in serious danger.

It was morning when he let her stop again. They were by a river and the sun was starting to peak up over the mountains. She reached in her bag and handed him a rice ball and a piece of fruit.

"Thank you, I am very impressed Hinata. Your fitness is excellent; you must have been working very hard." Warmth flooded her cheeks at his acknowledgement. Her father never praised her and she had worked very hard to gain his respect. It felt good to hear someone praise her for her hard work, especially him.

"Thank you, I have worked very hard to not be a burden to my team mates."

He sighed when he heard her talk like that. "Hinata, you are not a burden to anyone. Your father underestimates you. You are far stronger and more determined than he realizes," Itachi told her as he looked at her with firm eyes.

She closed her eyes to keep from crying.

"Come on we are almost there," he told her as he looked around him.

Hinata automatically activated her Byakugan and checked the area before she picked up her backpack. "Okay, I am ready."

A few hours later they were on the edge of a forest overlooking a large field. After looked around with her Byakugan she whispered to him. "All clear, there is no one in the area."

The birds had told him the same thing so he began to move out. After running across the field they came to the side of the large hill. Itachi did a few hand signs and slammed his hand against the hill and a door appeared in the side.

Opening the door, he let Hinata go in first. Her eyes opened wide and she was filled with excitement as she looked around her. This place was fascinating to her and it was the first time she had ever been to a secret hideout.

He led her through a room that looked like a cave and they stepped into an elevator. When the door shut he pushed a button and it brought them up to the top. The door opened and her jaw dropped in stunned appreciation.

She had been expecting a cave like atmosphere, instead they were in a stunningly beautiful and modern home that was built into the hillside. The whole side of the house directly across from the elevator was mostly windows. Above them were skylights built into the ceiling and she could see light coming through them.

The whole house was made with the finest materials and tastefully decorated in creamy beige tones with splashes of color in different areas.

"Itachi, this place is marvelous."

A small smile ghosted over his mouth as he was enjoying her reaction. "Come, I will show you the best part."

Hinata felt like hugging herself as he took her by the hand and led her out one of the glass doors to a patio and was amazed when she saw the huge yard. There was a large garden full of flowers with benches and bird houses and large rocks were distributed artfully around it. The patio had a large in-ground hot tub and there was even a swimming pool and sauna. Surrounding the swimming pool under the patio were a few decorative black wrought-iron tables and chairs.

Glancing around in wonder her eyes drifted past the grass and she saw the river that flowed through the yard to the hillside. The most beautiful thing of all was the waterfall that was directly across from the house on the other side of the yard that flowed into the river. The whole thing had been carved into the top of the hillside. It was not visible to the naked eye due to the strong genjutsu that surrounded it. To anyone other than a Hyuuga, it was just a hill.

Even then you would only be able to see it from the air, it was completely protected.

"Itachi, this place is amazing," she enthused as a small yawn escaped her.

"Let's go inside and get cleaned up," he told her as he took her hand and began leading her back inside. As they came through the door, Hinata sensed another presence in the house.

Her eyes opened in shock as a woman with long dark hair ran to them and enveloped Itachi into her arms. Hinata watched as Itachi hugged her back. The woman turned and looked at her with her dark onyx colored eyes.

"It can't be…" Hinata said as her hand flew to her mouth as tears formed in her eyes…

**Author's Note**: As I have been updating this story, I had forgotten just how naughty it was. Anyhoo, this next portion of it was always my favorite as the place they are staying seems like a dream house to me. Sorry about the cliffy, I will try to update within a day or two. This chapter was so freakin long I had to split it in two. Enjoy, I hope for those of you who read the story the first time are liking the changes I made to it.

Edited: 5/4/13


	15. Chapter 15

**Beach Interlude**

**Chapter 15**

* * *

****Mature content, you have been warned...****

* * *

Hinata froze in shock. "Nana?"

The woman smiled at her and said, "Hello Hina-chan."

Tears started rolling down her cheeks as she looked at the woman who had been like a second mother to her. Misana Uchiha, Itachi and Sasuke's maternal grandmother. Itachi watched as the two embraced.

"Nana, I thought you were dead," Hinata said tearfully as she gazed at her beloved face.

"No dearest, Itachi was able to save me and he had this place built for me."

Hinata's eyes lit up with joy as she looked over at Itachi and ran to him as he enclosed his arms around her. This was her surprise and it was incredible and way beyond anything she could have imagined. It amazed her he had been able to save someone during the massacre.

"Itachi, I love you," she said as she put her head against his chest.

Nana watched the couple with a fondly knowing look on her face; _I always knew those two loved each other. _

"Itachi, I received your message and I have made all the preparations for your meeting tomorrow," she informed him.

He looked over at her. "Thank you, Nana."

"Why don't you two go upstairs and rest and get cleaned up while I prepare some dinner for us," Nana told them.

Hinata walked over to her and kissed her cheek, "Okay Nana, I am so happy to see you... I have missed you so much."

Nana looked back at her with her soft onyx eyes, "Me too, dearest. We will spend time together this evening; I will show you my garden."

Hinata smiled, she remembered all the times she spent at Nana's house planting flowers and learning about gardening with her. Hinata gave her a quick embrace and picked up her backpack and followed Itachi upstairs.

As she walked behind him she noted the house was very spacious and had several bedrooms upstairs. Hinata followed him into a large bedroom at the end of the hallway. As she set her back pack down near the bed her still dazed eyes traveled around the room and thought it was beautiful. It was decorated in warm beige and cream colors with natural sunlight flowing in from the skylights up in the vaulted ceiling. Nana had put some brightly colored fresh flowers on the nightstand to welcome them.

"Do you like your surprise?" Itachi asked her as a smile tugged at his mouth. "I knew you would want to see her again. The two of you were always close."

Choking back tears of joy, Hinata could only nod as he dragged her into his arms and clamped them tightly around her.

"I have only been here a few times over the past several years, and have stayed away from this place to protect Nana." Itachi explained while she snuggled against him.

_Poor Nana, _Hinata thought as she looked up at him with sorrow filled eyes, "It must have been lonely for her being all by herself; she must have missed you and Sasuke terribly."

A shadow crossed his face before he answered her, "Yes, it has been difficult, but it has been necessary. Madara would not hesitate to kill her if he knew she was still alive."

Hinata knew what he was saying was true but thought it must have been hard on all of them. She held him for several minutes before he backed away from her and held out his hand. "Come on, I will show you the bathroom."

Following him into the bathroom she saw it was very large with a huge walk in shower with shower heads in the ceiling and along one side of the wall. The marble tub was enormous. Hinata thought up to six people could fit in there easily. The bathroom had a skylight and a large window was behind the tub. The glass was tinted so no one could see through it from the outside.

Reaching over the tub wearily, Hinata turned the water on. Her muscles were so sore; she could not wait to get in there. Glancing around the room she noticed she left her toiletry items and clothes in the bedroom and went to go get them.

When she came back, Itachi was already brushing his teeth at one of the dual sinks. As she stepped through the doorway she found herself enjoying just watching him perform such a simple act. A blush came over her face as the thought crossed her mind it was beginning to feel almost like they were married as they did these small things together. Their lives just seemed to blend together seamlessly…it was becoming very easy for her to think crazy thoughts like that.

Quickly hiding her red face, Hinata began to rifle through her bag and found her tooth brush. As she brushed her teeth, she chided herself for having such thoughts about him; those kinds of plans would have to wait… _besides he hasn't even asked me_…and she wondered if he ever was going to. After all, they had made no promises to each other.

After pulling up her hair in a bun, she glanced in the mirror and saw he was watching her. A thrill passed through her that for once she had caught him staring at her and not the other way around.

A small grin passed over his face while he turned off the water and started removing his shirt. Glancing in the mirror he saw Hinata was watching him.

"Hinata, look at me."

Startled, Hinata scrunched up face up a little at being caught staring by him, she turned her eyes towards him and almost sighed like a pathetic schoolgirl as he slowly removed his clothing in front of her. A hot light burned in her eyes as more of his naked body became visible. Hinata could tell he was amused but she could not turn her eyes away from his incredible body.

He climbed in the tub and turned to her with an invitation in his eyes.

"Now it is your turn."

Hinata's cheeks were burning as she felt shyness grip her;_ I should be used to him watching me undress by now, _she mentally complained considering all of the times they had been naked in front of each other over the past few days_. _Her modesty was almost ridiculous but she couldn't help feeling it.

Lifting her eyes from the floor she raised them up to his as she finished undressing and stepped into the tub. Itachi rolled his eyes as he pushed the button for the jets to come on. As she leaned back against the pulsating water she was grateful he gave her a pass and didn't make her talk about her shyness with him. Her being shy with him was just something she was going to have to work on.

The hot water felt absolutely heavenly on her tired and sore body and the late afternoon sun flowed in comfortably from the skylight up above them. Her mind and body finally began to relax.

_"_Itachi, this is wonderful - I love it here_." _

He leaned back in the tub and placed his hand around hers_, _"I knew you would."

A soft smile touched her face as she looked at their hands linked together under the water. She loved how he always had to be touching her when he was near her.

_I wonder if he even notices that he does it, _she thought before she felt her eyes becoming drowsy and she began to drift off to sleep.

Hinata woke a little while later and glanced over at Itachi and saw he was still fast asleep.

_He must be really tired_, she mused as she looked over at him with a concerned smile. Knowing that he had probably pushed himself too hard to get here as quickly as they did and his body was still not completely healed.

As she stared at the gorgeous column of his neck and sculpted chest in front of her as he had his head leaned back against the edge of the tub, she was unable to stop the small fan-girlish sigh from slipping out of her mouth.

With a small grin, she decided to behave herself and give him a breathing treatment and made her eyes focused.

After activating her Byakugan she began applying green healing chakra to his chest. As she examined his lungs she could see they were improving and his chakra system was almost completely healed. It made her feel a sense of accomplishment knowing she was responsible in a lot of ways for his healing. She was glad took a chance and contacted Sakura when she did.

She just hoped her friend would be able to come up with an antidote, otherwise the poison will just begin to multiply throughout his body all over again.

Taking one last look at his lungs and chakra network, Hinata was satisfied that they were healed as much as she could get them for now. She stopped working on his chest and looked over his eyes and frowned when she saw there was still a lot of damage to the lenses.

She was beginning to realize just how hard his Sharingan was on his eyes, it seemed her Byakugan was a lot more kind to the user's eyes than his kekkei genkai was.

After forming several hand-signs she activated one of her family's healing jutsu and placed her hands over his eyes. This jutsu had been in her family forever and was used to heal the lenses and the outer tissue of eye. Focusing her Byakugan as minutely as she could, she used it to see every tiny blood cell and every tear and scratch on the outside of his eyes. Several moments later she could no longer see any damage on either eye; she deactivated her Byakugan and removed her hands from his eyes.

Itachi woke up when he felt Hinata begin to give him a breathing treatment. Next he felt her work on his eyes. He squinted in pain and wondered what she did to them to make them burn and feel so irritated.

"Hinata, what kind of jutsu did you just use on my eyes?"

Surprised that he was awake, Hinata spoke a little nervously, "I used one of my family's jutsu to repair the lenses and the outside of your eyes. Your eyes may be a little sore for awhile, but tomorrow you should be able to see difference in your vision."

Itachi frowned a little and appeared to be thinking about something.

"Here, this should help with the irritation." Hinata said as she performed the healing balm jutsu on him and soon he felt soothing chakra flow over his eyes.

"Will I be able to use my Sharingan tomorrow, Hinata?" He asked her as he looked at her closely.

"Yes, your eyes should be healed by then," she replied softly, her eyes were worried when she looked at him. "I just hope you do not have to use them on any of my friends tomorrow."

Itachi stared off into the distance and sighed, "I will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening."

Hinata breathed out in relief as the meeting with the Hokage had been concerning her more and more the closer it came upon them.

"Hinata, are you ready to get out now?"

"Yes, I could use a nap." She told him with a yawn as he held her hand and helped her out of the tub.

Hinata looked over at him and could tell he was also a little on edge, probably because of the meeting.

_I sure hope Lady Tsunade keeps her word and doesn't try to capture him. _If that happens I am not sure where my loyalties lie. _Whose side would I choose? _She wondered feeling horribly divided between her loyalty to him and Konoha.

She thought about Itachi and all the sacrifices he has made for Konoha and knew instinctively which side he would want her to choose.

_I would have to choose Konoha, because that is what he would want me to do. I just hope it doesn't come down to me having to make that decision._  
_  
_Itachi pulled her down on the bed with him and could tell Hinata was troubled about something, he was pretty sure it was about the meeting tomorrow_. _He was just going to present his offer of an alliance and see what happens. Of course he had a back-up plan just in case the meeting fell apart but hoped he would never have to use it.

Even though he did not want to kill any of them, he would do what he must to keep from getting captured; he owed it to his brother.

"Hinata, are you sleeping?" He asked her as he rubbed his hand over her shoulder and arm in a soothing manner.

As she turned around to face him, he looked at her beautiful face and saw that she was becoming anxious. His eyes were warm and patient as they looked into hers.

"Don't worry, it will be alright. I will present my case to the Hokage and make her see the benefits of having me as an ally versus an enemy. She would be a fool to refuse me and I do not think she is one." He told her in a calm voice.

"I am sure you are right and she will make the right decision. Lady Tsunade is a wise leader; she will do what is necessary to see that lives will be saved." Hinata said firmly as if trying to convince herself that it was true.

Itachi knew Hinata was a massive worrier and had been that way as long as he had known her. He always felt it was unproductive and usually put his brain to finding ways to solve problems whereas she let things build up in her mind until the problems seemed enormous.

"Hinata, don't worry about tomorrow, I have everything in place. I will do all that I can to negotiate peacefully without anyone getting hurt," he promised her as he pulled her close and kissed her mouth softly.

"Itachi, what about us? Do you want to keep it a secret from them?" She asked with clouded eyes after the thought occurred to her. The more she considered it she began to wonder if she was even capable of being around him and hiding her feelings for him.

Itachi looked at her and gently smoothed her hair back from her face, "What do you want to do?" He asked her softly not really seeing any reason why it would be necessary to do such a thing unless it would put her life at risk. "Do you trust all of them to keep our relationship confidential?"

"Of course I do, they are my friends," Hinata replied automatically.

Itachi held back a grin at how easily she trusted people, "Then I see no reason to hide it from them."

Hinata breathed out a small sigh and smiled a little wryly at him, "Good, because I don't think I could have pulled it off."

Itachi moved closer to her at her admission and rolled her underneath him, "I agree, it would have been difficult for us to do."

Hinata laughed when she saw by the light in his eyes he was teasing her and wrapped her arms around his back. His eyes then became serious as he stared down at her.

"However, I do not want the rest of the village to know about us or someone could come after you to get to me. The people who were invited to the meeting will be the only ones who will be allowed to know."

"I agree," Hinata looked at him with love glowing in her eyes, the way he was always so protective over her and the way he said "us," made her feel so wanted by him. It made her feel like what they had wasn't temporary but was something more…

A warm light entered his eyes as he decided they had done enough talking; he bent his head and kissed her. Her soft lips parted and his tongue slipped between them for one sweet arousing taste, he withdrew…then hungrily plunged again. Pressing her head against the pillows his hands and mouth gradually became urgent as he kissed and stroked them over her.

Wild heat began to rush through her body as she arched against him and closed her eyes and began to move her hands slowly over him. A thrill went through her when she heard him heard him complain with a low moan that he couldn't get enough of her before his lips began to leave a scorching trail down to the hollows of her neck and lower...

Each touch of his seeking fingers, each brush of his mouth and tongue tantalized her making her writhe beneath him. When his hands parted her thighs, Hinata moaned in her throat and arched her hips toward him and what was left of his restraint broke. His lips captured hers in a deep, raw kiss and he sank into her warmth. When she began to move against him he drove his full length into her again and again...

Out of breath and smiling helplessly up at him, Hinata laughed when after they were done while he was still joined to her he pulled her on top of him and she gasped at the strangeness of it. The position made her feel unusually powerful and in control. She stared down at him and began moving her hips back and forth over him instinctively and could feel him becoming hard again inside of her.

He looked up at her with a knowing grin and teased her, "Again?"

Hinata blushed and set her hands on either side of his head supporting her weight as excitement began to flood through her body, "Yes, but, um… I've never done this before." She breathed out nervously, unsure of what to do next.

"I will show you," he told her as his hands settled on her hips and slowly began guiding her and helping her to start. With a laughing groan Hinata felt him gently clamp his hand around the back of her head as she slid up and down over his hard length and brought her mouth toward his.

Hinata kissed him lightly with a smile still on her face before closing her eyes and leaning back, she sat up straight on him as his hands slid back and forth over her breasts and stomach. Her breathing began to come out in gasps as he felt so full inside of her, she felt stretched wide to accommodate him. Soon her body began to be infused with lovely heat and her face flushed hotly as she moved up and down on him almost at random.

Itachi felt himself become amused with her as her inexperience was oddly exciting, he had no idea what she was going to do next. It kept him on edge and was beginning to arouse him almost wildly. She had no idea how to gauge the tempo between them, slowing it down and then speeding up and even stopping completely.

He was entranced with her as he watched her.

As if she could tell he was watching her, Hinata opened her eyes and looked down at him with a shy smile before lowering her mouth to his. She began to brush tantalizingly slow kisses over his mouth, one side and then the other, gently teasing him.

When her mouth drifted tentatively over his face and she opened it over his earlobe, her hot breath covered it making him shiver as her tongue almost chastely began to stroke his ear and then the hollows of his neck, his amusement died and his body began to surge with desire.

With a moan, he gripped her hips and began guiding her back and forth over him hard and fast. Her mouth opened wildly over his, her tongue plunged into it and began stroking his tongue sensuously, tangling it with hers, while her hands buried themselves in his hair.

Itachi felt hot undiluted lust begin to surge through him at her actions. She was driving him out of control and that was something he was uncomfortable with. When he began to notice she was beginning to move with him perfectly and adjust to the pressure of his hips that was when he decided to bring this lesson to a close. He wasn't ready to give her that much control over him.

Gently rolling her on her back, he shifted on top of her pinning her to the bed as he began to thrust deeply inside of her. Hinata was almost mindless as her body began to melt with pleasure and feel like it was wound tight as a spring at the same time. She began to arch her body against his and gasp as her hands clung to his back.

He dragged his mouth over her cheek and back to her mouth as he was embedding himself deep in her body. Warmth began to seep through her every part of her as he did not move but was impaled within the depths of her. Hinata tried to move against him but he kept her body pinned down with his. She didn't know what he was doing but it was driving her insane with need for him.

"Open your eyes," he said; his voice was a raw whisper.

Her long lashes flickered open, silently her eyes begged for release and silently he promised it to her. He began to move again within her and increase the force of each stroke. Hinata felt a pulsing deep inside of her, quaking through her until it finally exploded and tore a low whimper from her throat. Itachi drove one more time, his body shuddering with pleasure as he came into her.

Their breaths mingled together as they stared at each other. Wrapping his arms around her hips he moved onto his side with her next to him, sated and happy they fell asleep.

A few hours later they woke, they cleaned up and started heading downstairs. She followed him down the hallway to the stairs. He closed his hand around hers before they began descending down the steps.

"Itachi?"

He leaned his towards her, "Yes?"

A small blush began to cover her face as she looked at him, "I want to show you something I can do by the waterfall tonight."

"Will you be wearing clothing?" He whispered.

"Um, no," she blushed an even deeper red.

A lazy smile formed on his face, "Good."

Hinata laughed as she began to follow him down the rest of the stairs feeling absurdly happy.

As she followed him into the kitchen, she saw that it was very spacious and elegant with two ovens and stove top grill and granite counter tops. Nana was busy grilling tonkatsu pork on the grill.

She came over to Itachi and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Itachi, you look well? I had expected to hear that you were dead?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow expecting an explanation.

He sat down on one of the stools by the counter, "Let me guess, one of the crows told you?" He complained with a sigh.

"Of course they did. I always make delicious treats for them, so they will tell me anything," Nana retorted with a grin.

"Itachi, please tell me what is going on?"

Itachi recognize that tone of voice and that look in her eyes and knew she wouldn't stop until she had learned everything from him. It seemed to be his lot in life to be surrounded by stubborn women.

He briefly began to share what had happened to him lately, and while he was talking Hinata saw tears run down Nana's cheeks. Nana went over to Itachi and held him. "Itachi, I was so worried about you. I didn't think I would ever see you again."

She looked over at Hinata. "Thank you my dear, I do not know how you did it but you accomplished a miracle."

"Itachi, I knew you were planning to sacrifice yourself for Sasuke and allow yourself to die as a criminal. You didn't deserve it; you just got caught in the middle of Konoha politics," she said angrily.

"Nana, I did what I had to in order to protect Konoha."

"I am just so relieved you are alright and I am so happy to see you both." Nana told him as she wiped away a tear and went to the stove and shut off the grill.

"Why don't you both have a seat while I dish up your plates?" She said as she started working in the kitchen as a way to calm herself down.

"Nana, do you need any help?' Hinata asked her.

"Oh no dear, you had a long journey today, I want you to just relax," she said as she smiled to her.

Itachi and Hinata went to the table while Nana dished up their plates and served them and brought them drinks. As she sat down to join them her eyes travelled over Hinata who was absolutely luminous as she sat close to Itachi.

"Hina-chan you have grown up to be a very beautiful young woman," she said appraisingly.

"Oh, thank you Nana," she said as she blushed and looked down at her plate.

"I remember how you had short hair and used to follow Itachi around when you were little." She smiled at her and continued, "You look so much like your mother now; she was a very lovely and kind lady. We were good friends and both of us were in the Konoha Garden Club together. Before she died, she made me promise to look after you and I was the one who gave Fugaku the idea to betroth Itachi to you," Nana admitted with a twinkle in her eyes.

Both Itachi and Hinata looked up at her with surprised eyes.

"Nana, you were the one responsible for that. How come you never told us before?" He asked her.

Nana smiled a little mischievously, "Well, I didn't want you to think I was meddling in your lives. I just thought you both would be a good match. I also knew that you would take care of her Itachi."

Hinata smiled as she thought of her childhood, "Thank you Nana, you were right about Itachi taking care of me - he taught me to be stronger and to stand up for myself. A few years ago, I stood up against my father and learned to be a medic nin. Without Itachi and you in my life when I was younger - I think my father and clan would have destroyed me."

"I am so glad my meddling paid off," Nana told her as she patted her hand.

"Nana, why did you choose me and not Sasuke for Hinata? After all he is closer in age to her than I am?" Itachi asked her.

"Well, I only recommended to your father that it be you instead of Sasuke, but it was really Hinata's father who wanted you as a son in law. Apparently, he was very impressed with how strong you were. He was afraid Hinata was going to need someone to take care of her after he died."

Hinata started crying when she heard evidence that her father cared a little about her, even if he did still think she was weak. He never gave her any sign that he cared for her while she was growing up.

Itachi reached over and covered her hand with his and she smiled gratefully at him.

Nana looked over at them and could tell they were very close. It made her feel good to know that her instincts were right about the two of them all those years ago. Her eyes grew shadowed as she knew they faced some difficult times ahead when Itachi had to return to Akatsuki.

[_Much later that evening_]

Itachi and Hinata dressed in silken robes, walked hand in hand toward the waterfall. As they stopped in front of it she began to explain what she wanted to show him.

"When I was learning my Protective Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms technique, I used to practice on the water, sometimes in waterfalls," she said before giggling as she remembered something funny from her past.

"What is so funny?" He asked her.

Hinata choked back a laugh before she told him, "One time I was on a mission with Naruto-kun and my team. While they were all sleeping I got up in the middle of the night to practice my technique by the waterfall. I usually practiced naked because I didn't want to get my clothes wet. While I was practicing, Naruto-kun saw me - I didn't know he was there until he fell in the water and said something to me. I immediately hid and got dressed. The next morning we were all walking together and he started talking to Kiba about how he saw an ultra-pretty girl in the waterfall the night before and couldn't sleep all night. The funny thing was he never figured out it was me."

He looked at her flatly, "I've met him, I can see him being that dense."

Her mouth quirked as she held back a giggle before agreeing with him in an apologetic way, "Naruto-kun is so nice, but yes… he can be a little dense sometimes."

Itachi's mouth quirked a bit at her being so typically kind, Hinata never said mean things about anyone, it was just the way she was.

Hinata swallowed as she glanced over at the waterfall and then at Itachi, she wanted to impress him and show him how much she improved…but as nerves began to set in, she hesitated.

Itachi looked at her patiently and began untying her robe and watched as she shivered as it slid to the ground by her feet. Hinata removed her sandals, and looked at him.

"Now show me what you can do." Itachi told her and gave her a reassuring look.

Hinata nodded and a determined light entered her eyes as she walked on the small river towards the waterfall and stopped just a few feet away from it.

Itachi watched as her body glistened in the moonlight as she began to build up chakra on her hands. As she began to twirl around fluidly, Itachi thought she looked more like a dancer than a ninja.

He watched captivated as where ever her hands went, delicate sprays of water followed them like a fountain. Water and mist sparkled against her in the faint moonlight and Itachi thought she almost didn't look real. Hinata spun and jumped through the air and seemed to him to be as light and delicate as the water and mist she was manipulating with her jutsu. Her jutsu was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.

Her arms began to move faster and in large circles as she began to build up a barrier of water all around her. In one sweeping arch of her hand she surprised him by sending a large spray of water towards him.

Before it could hit him, Itachi performed a few hand signs and said, "Suiton: Suigadan" (Water style: Water Fang Bullet) and a huge tube of water formed and slammed down a few feet from Hinata. With a stunned gasp she quickly jumped out of the way.

Hinata looked over at him with a huge smile as he had actually done something amazing, he had joked. Her heart began to swell in her chest at how different he had become since she had first seen him at the beach house.

"I didn't know you also were a water element user too," she said excitedly when he came over and stood beside her.

"Yes, I am both a fire and water element type," he responded impassively.

"Do you think you can teach me that technique?" She asked him with pleading eyes.

Itachi shrugged and began showing her the hand-signs for the jutsu…  
_  
_Nana looked out her bedroom window. She had heard them earlier go out the back door and had watched as Hinata walked toward the waterfall and performed her incredibly beautiful water technique.

Her eyes had opened in shock when she watched Itachi perform a jutsu designed to crush an opponent with water. She knew he wasn't trying to hurt Hinata; it was more like he was… playing with her.

_Oh thank Kami, he is changing -_ _thank you Hinata_, Nana thought emotionally as her eyes became a little misty. She watched a little longer and thought they probably were going to make out under the moonlight like any normal couple would do, instead she noticed they looked like they were training.

_Aww, they really are perfect for one another_, she thought with a small shake of her head and a grin and headed back to bed.

**Authors Note**: A few more chapters to go and this story (part 1) will be finished and I will move on to completely rewriting part II which is absolutely cringe-inducingly awful. I wrote that story in a ridiculously short period of time and it shows. Anyway, I would like to hear your thoughts on this last chapter. I decided to keep some of the playfulness from the original story and show a little more emotion from Itachi (which is a very difficult thing to do) and some of his flaws as well. I thought some of the dialogue was a little sappy but I decided to leave it in there. I am a hopeless romantic, what can I say…

Thanks to all of you for leaving me reviews and feedback and I am sorry I didn't have Mikoto in the original story. At the time while I was writing it, I didn't know much about her so I just decided to go with an OC. I hope all of you will grow to like Nana. She plays an important part after Sasuke/Itachi come back to Konoha in part III.

Edited: 5/4/13

**Manga Spoiler Alert**: (Naruto ch. 505) Yay, Kisame and Guy-sensei! I loved their previous fight scenes together and how Guy can never remember his name lol. I am looking forward to the next chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Beach Interlude**

**Chapter 16**

* * *

"Sai, have you seen Naruto around? The Hokage needs to see him," Sakura explained as she glanced up at him in a tree near the training grounds.

After planting a fake smile on his face the artist pointed over to a large tree, "He's over there – he has been training almost non-stop since you told him you wouldn't go out with him anymore."

All of her irritation fled at having to search for him for the last hour as she spotted him behind the tree asleep. _Oh Naruto, you told me you understood and it was fine to remain just friends, but I guess it wasn't really._ She should have known he would automatically say something like that; he really was the sweetest guy.

Her eyes grew sad as she looked down at him and spoke silently to him while he slept, _I'm sorry Naruto, I just don't love you like that._

"Don't worry Sakura, he will be fine," Sai said quietly as he came and stood beside her.

Not wanting to wake him but having no choice, Sakura reached down and shook his shoulder.

"Naruto, wake up."

Naruto swatted her hand and mumbled a little before going back to sleep.

Biting back her temper she tried again nicely with the same result.

Sai tried to wake him up and Naruto didn't even move but slept as though he was dead.

The team-mates shared an exasperated look before Sakura lips tightened, she was through messing around with him.

"Naruto! Get up you baka!" She yelled as she punched him on the jaw sending him flying twenty feet away.

Sai just watched and shook his head a little. He would never understand his teammates and the way they interacted.

Naruto sat up and rubbed his jaw and looked accusingly at Sakura. "Sakura-chan, what the hell was that for!"

"Naruto, I tried to wake you, but you just wouldn't get up," she explained in an exasperated voice.

"Hee, hee, sorry Sakura-chan, I have been training really hard lately."

Her eyes raked him over and noted he looked like he hadn't slept in a week and his clothes were just awful. _Naruto, you knucklehead_, she thought fondly.

"Come on Naruto we need to hurry. Let's go get you cleaned up and then the Hokage needs to see you right away," she told him as she pulled him up and started dragging him a little before he began to follow her on his own. Before they left the training area she turned and waved to Sai.

"Bye Sai, I will see you later."

Sai gave them a slight smile before going back to his drawing.

Standing outside Naruto's apartment Sakura turned to Naruto with an urgent look while he was unlocking the door with his key. "I have to go find Shikamaru, please hurry and get cleaned up and meet us over at the Hokage's office."

He looked a little puzzled at her urgency but didn't argue with her for once. "Okay, I will meet you there."

As he entered his apartment a worried frown grew on his face, _I wonder what in the hell is going on… _

Sakura made her way over to the Nara compound and was about to knock on the door of his house when his mother opened the door.

"Oh hello, Sakura," she said pleasantly.

"Hello ma'am, I am looking for Shikamaru, is he around?" Sakura inquired politely.

"Yes, he is behind the house painting the shed," his mother told her as a long suffering look passed over her face. Knowing her son he was probably napping back there.

"Okay, I'll go find him. Thanks," Sakura said as she walked around to the back of the house. When she came to the back yard she saw Shikamaru with a paintbrush in his hand lazily painting the shed.

His dad, Shikaku was slouched in a lawn chair under a tree drinking a beer.

"Hey Shikamaru, I need to speak to you," Sakura said to him as she got closer to him.

"Oh Hi Sakura, what does the Hokage want from me now?" He asked as he rolled his eyes knowingly.

Her lips quirked as she looked at him. "How did you know I was here for the Hokage?"

He sighed and replied in a bored voice. "It's simple really; you never come to my house or look for me unless she sends you."

Sakura smiled as she realized what he said was true. "Well you're right; she needs to see you immediately."

"Yeah yeah whatever, give me a few minutes to change my clothes, I will be out in a few minutes," he said as he walked toward the front door.

Sakura sat down and waited. Inside the house she could hear Shikamaru's mom yelling at him and an amused grin crept over her face. _Poor Shikamaru_.

"Shikamaru, you tell your father to get off his lazy ass and finish painting the shed, since you can't do it."

"Okay already – give me minute to change my clothes and I will."

As though waking from the dead, Shikaku jumped out of the chair, looking a little nervous as he glanced over at the house and began painting the shed.

Shikamaru came out of the house and lazily grinned when he saw his dad was already doing what his mother wanted.

"Dad, she really has you whipped doesn't she?" He said to him.

"Nah, she's not that bad," he replied nervously as his eyes darted toward the house to make sure she wasn't listening. "Have fun Shikamaru," he told his son as he gave a meaningful glance toward Sakura and winked at him.

"Bye dad," Shikamaru said. _Man, my parents are such a pain._

Sakura didn't say much to Shikamaru on the way to the Hokage's office, she didn't want to risk being overheard.

Shikamaru noticed she appeared to be distracted and overly quiet. _Something important must be going on,_ he thought as he looked out of the corner of his eye at her. When they entered the Hokage's office they saw Naruto in there already. He was trying to get information out of the Hokage regarding the mission and she kept telling him he had to wait.

"Baa-chan what the hell is going on!" He yelled at her.

Tsunade was about to punch him through a wall, when she saw Sakura and Shikamaru come into her office. "Oh good, you're here," she said relieved before sending dark look at Naruto. "Naruto, sit down!"

Shizune walked through the door, "Good, it looks like everyone is here."

Shikamaru lifted his eyebrows a tad after Tsunade put a sound barrier around her office, for once he wasn't bored.

"Naruto, I need to you to send a message to Jiraiya using one of your frogs. We must keep everything secret." The Hokage told him with a serious look on her face.

"I understand," he replied with a frown before biting his thumb. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu," he said while slamming his hand on the floor.

Gamakichi appeared before him. "Yo, Naruto, what's up?"

"Gamakichi, you must take this secret message to Lord Jiraiya immediately. Let no one see him receive it, understood." The Hokage ordered firmly as she held out the scroll.

The frog took the scroll from her with his tongue and swallowed it. "Hai, Tsunade-sama, I will do it right away. See ya later, Naruto," he said with a cheeky wave before poofing away.

Tsunade sat at her desk with Shizune standing behind her and her face was serious as she looked at the ninjas in front of her before she began to speak. "Shikamaru and Naruto, we will be leaving to meet someone at a secret location. I will use a transformation jutsu to look like Shizune and she will look like me. It's important no one knows I have left the village, especially not the council. We will be leaving tomorrow night around midnight. If anyone does find out about it you are to tell them we are going on a routine medical training mission to Suna."

"So, what is really going on Baa-chan? Why are you coming with us - you never go on missions?" Naruto asked with a baffled look on his face.

"A well known S-rank criminal has recently contacted me regarding an alliance with Konoha. He desires to meet with us to discuss a mutually beneficial relationship. He specifically requested each one of you to come to the meeting," she answered patiently but her face warned him not to push her anymore.

"Lady Hokage, how do know we can trust this person and it's not a trap?" Shikamaru asked her.

The Hokage's face was serious as she considered his question, "It could be, but I do not think that it is. Lord Jiraiya will be there along with us, our contact would be awfully foolish to try to take down two of the sanin at once. Also recent documents have come to my attention regarding this person. He is a double agent for us and has been undercover in Akatsuki for years. The Third Hokage left a memo for his successor regarding this individual recommending we assist him if he ever made contact with us."

Shikamaru gave her a shrewd look as he leaned back in his chair and stroked his chin, "Hm, it appears there is a lot you're not telling us, but the gain must be significant if you are willing to risk leaving the village."

"You're right, as usual, Shikamaru, this person is going to help us get Uchiha Sasuke back." The Hokage mused as she turned searching eyes on Naruto to see his response to her announcement.

Naruto was sharing a look with Sakura and they both looked ready to tear up.

The Hokage gave them a thoughtful look and already felt better about her decision. It really was time to bring Sasuke back to the village, he had been gone long enough.

After the meeting was over she arranged for everyone to meet a mile past the gate at midnight tomorrow night. Sakura hurried over to the hospital lab and pulled out a vial of the poison residue from her pocket. After smearing some of it on a piece of glass and setting under a microscope she was adjusting the magnification when Lady Tsunade came in.

Surprised at her sudden appearance Sakura raised her eyebrows, "Lady Tsunade?"

"Show me what you got so far, Sakura?" The Hokage requested immediately.

Relief poured through her when she realized Lady Tsunade's intention to help her, she pointed to the microscope and the Hokage went to work.

It was 0200 in the morning and they were still at work in the lab. Sakura was exhausted, but she wasn't about to give up. Hinata was counting on her to find a cure. Lady Tsunade didn't look tired at all. She apparently was used to putting in a lot of late-nighters in her job as the Hokage.

Glancing over at Sakura, Tsunade could tell her apprentice was getting frustrated by their lack of success. "Sakura, some times these things just take time, it is a matter of trial and error."

Sakura gave her a tired smile of gratitude for her encouragement. "Lady Tsunade why can't we find an antidote?" She asked in a strained voice. "We've tried everything."

"Sakura, let's go over all the tests we have already done to see if we missed anything," Tsunade said patiently trying to be logical about it.

"Right! Thank you so much for helping me my lady," Sakura said gratefully as she began scanning over the list of all of the tests that had already been done.

Tsunade gave her a shrewd look before asking her, "Sakura, why do you want to help him so badly?"

Sakura looked down uncomfortably at the paper in front of her, o_h crap, what do I say to her,_ her mind reeled nervously. "Um, I just want to help."

Lady Tsunade looked skeptical at her answer unconvinced she was telling her everything. "Sakura," she warned with a raised eyebrow.

Sakura wilted under the Hokage's stern gaze, "I made a promise to someone I would do all I could to find an antidote," she admitted finally.

"Would this person happen to be Hinata?" Tsunade guessed as she continued to watch her apprentice closely.

"Yes."

Tsunade was alarmed, o_h no, is this what I think it is?_

"Just how involved with this Akatsuki memberis she?" The Hokage asked her as concern for Hinata began to flood through her.

"Well, she cares for him my lady; according to Hinata, they were good friends before he left the village." Sakura responded awkwardly.

"Is that all she feels for him?" The Hokage pressed.

Inwardly Sakura's stomach twisted as she didn't want to answer the question. "My lady, it isn't for me to say," she replied evasively and prayed the Hokage would stop questioning her about it.

Tsunade gave her a long stare and respected her silent wish to protect her friend's privacy. She already had a good idea what was going on anyway, "Okay, Sakura, I just hope she knows what she is doing."

"She does ma'am, I am sure of it." Sakura replied gratefully.

"Sakura, let's stop for the night. I will do some research and get back to you tomorrow," the Hokage told her as she stifled a yawn.

Sakura was tired but she wasn't ready to give up, but seeing the look on her bosses face told her not to argue with her. She reluctantly turned to leave the lab, before she left she looked at Lady Tsunade with sincere eyes, "Thank you for your help, my lady."

The next morning, Sakura walked into the lab and was surprised when she saw Lady Tsunade working on the antidote.

"Sakura, I think I am very close to finding the antidote. I have narrowed down a list of herbs we haven't tried. I also want to try some of the Nara's deer antlers; they have very potent healing powers," the Hokage told her as she reached back and rubbed her shoulders wearily.

"Hmm, I never thought to use them, maybe we should try it?" Sakura wondered as a light began to shine in her eyes. She went over to the medicine cabinet and found some ground up deer antlers from the Nara clan.

Tsunade started a new batch and added some ingredients that made up the basic antidote.

"Okay, I hope this works my lady," Sakura told her nervously before she sprinkled some of the deer antler powder into the tube with the other ingredients. They let it boil for a while and then Tsunade took a dropper and poured a small amount on the test paper. When the liquid hit the paper the poison began to evaporate.

"We did it!" Sakura exclaimed happily. _Hinata is going to be so happy, s_he thought overcome with relief_._

"Sakura write down all the ingredients and prepare another batch to have on hand in case we run into this type of poison again." The Hokage directed her as she turned to leave. She needed to go to bed for a few hours after staying up all night.

"Yes ma'am," Sakura responded and found some paper to write on. She filled three vials of the medicine to bring with her to the meeting. As she looked at the brown antidote she knew she held Itachi's life in her hands. It was times like these that made her job as a medic worthwhile…

* * *

It was after midnight and Tsunade, transformed to look like Shizune before stepping through the main Konoha gate. Back at her office she had left Shizune, transformed to look like her, and Kakashi in charge while she is away. _I hope nothing bad happens while I am gone. At least I will not be too far away. _She worried to herself not used to leaving the village since she took over being Hokage.

Walking a little bit further down the road, she saw her team was all assembled and was waiting for her.

"Okay, Sakura we will follow you. We are going to stay off the main road and try to avoid detection, everyone stay alert," the Hokage ordered quietly.

"Hai!" They all said as a group before starting off.

After about six hours of travelling they took a break. Tsunade was drinking from her cantine when she overheard Naruto telling Sakura about how he and Pervy Sage had come through this area on one of their travels. He told Sakura about this town on the way that has gambling, bars and strippers. Her ears perked up when she heard the word gambling.

_Maybe we will have to take detour on the way home, s_he thought with a grin.

Shikamaru was watching the Hokage's face when Naruto was talking to Sakura about that gambling, party town. He saw Lady Tsunade's face when he had mentioned gambling. _Oh great, Shizune warned me about her problem with gambling. Man, this could be troublesome. And now I'm going to have to keep an eye on her, h_e complained darkly before looking over at Naruto. _Way to go, Idiot._

It was close to noon when they came to the clearing outside of town. Sakura could see the hill in the distance. She decided to wait to see if they would send a bird or Hinata would come out. They only had to wait a few minutes before Kuroy flew up and landed on a branch near her.

"Sakura wait a few more minutes while we fly around the perimeter to make sure no one is in the area. Hinata-sama is also checking with her Byakugan." He said in his bird voice and flew away.

Shikamaru and Naruto were a little surprised when the crow flew up to Sakura and talked to her. She decided to say nothing for now, at least she had told the Hokage about them so she wasn't surprised.

A couple of minutes later, Kuroy flew near them and motioned for them to follow him with his head. They followed him until they came to the hill and Sakura walked to the center and made some hand signs and slammed her hand on the hill. A door opened on the side of the hill and they quickly stepped inside.

They walked cautiously a cave-like hallway until they came to the elevator. After they stepped into the elevator, they all looked a little nervous. Sakura pushed the button that appeared to be for the top floor.

The elevator ride to the top only took a short while, but it felt much longer to the people inside. They each had a weapon ready in case they needed it when the door opened. They were first shocked by the light that hit them as the door opened. At least two of the people were very surprised at who they saw.

Tsunade was looking at the woman standing next to Hinata. "Nana?"

"Tsunade?"

The two former friends stood there staring at each other. While Naruto looked at Itachi and was just about to charge him with a Kunai, Shikamaru stopped him with his shadow possession Jutsu. "Naruto, you baka, this is our contact."

Impressed with Shikamaru's quick thinking, he decided that what he had heard about him was true.

Hinata stepped forward and placed her hand on Naruto's arm, her voice was soft and pleading as she looked at him. "Naruto-kun, I give you my word you have nothing to fear from him. Please just hear him out and you will understand everything."

"Okay Hinata I will, but it better be good. This guy has made my life and Sasuke's life hell," he said angrily.

"She is right Naruto-kun, you have nothing to fear from me," Itachi promised him quietly.

Itachi stepped away from them and bowed formally to Lady Tsunade. "Lady Hokage, thank you for agreeing to meet with me."

Tsunade assessed him for a few moments before stating firmly, "You should thank the Third Hokage, he left some very kind words about you in a memo for his successor."

"The Third Hokage was a type of mentor to me while I was in the ANBU Black Ops. I am grateful for his help."

"You also should also thank my apprentices, I trust both of their judgment and they both felt you deserved a chance to be heard," Tsunade said as she glanced at them.

"I appreciate the opportunity and will disclose everything after Lord Jiraiya arrives. If you will follow me, we have some refreshments in the dining room for you," he stated before taking hold of Hinata's hand and leading them into the dining room.

Tsunade grabbed Nana's hand and pulled her aside. "Nana, I thought you were dead?"

Nana looked up at her old friend and touched her face. "I'm sorry for the deception my friend. I have been in hiding since the day of the massacre. Itachi was only able to save me, he was going to save his mother, but Madara had already killed her and his father."

Tsunade squeezed her hand, knowing her friend had suffered a great deal over the years. "I'm so glad you are alive."

"Come on Tsunade, we will talk more later, let's go get some sake." Nana said with a smile.

Sakura stayed by Naruto to keep an eye on him. "Naruto, I know you are angry at Itachi, but he really does care for his brother and he is going to help us get him back. He is really worried about him. So you had better listen to him or you will deal with me," she warned him as she shook her fist in his face.

Naruto eyed her fist nervously, "Okay Sakura-chan, I will listen to him," he stated reluctantly, "I just have a hard time believing he cares for his brother. You didn't see what he did to him, I watched him beat the shit out of Sasuke then he used a genjutsu and put him in the hospital for almost a month. He is a ruthless bastard and I am not sure I trust him."

Sakura sighed, "I don't know why he did that to his brother, he must have felt he had a good reason."

"Well whatever it was, I don't trust him…" Naruto muttered as he followed his team-mate into the kitchen.

Hinata introduced Shikamaru to Itachi and then left them to get drinks for them.

Itachi looked at him. "I bet you're wondering why you were invited to this meeting?"

Shikamaru looked back and shrugged, "Yeah, I guess."

Itachi enlightened him, "One of my crows saw your fight against Hidan. I can tell you are no ordinary shinobi and are exceptionally talented at planning."

Shikamaru looked back at him with sorrowful eyes, "That bastard killed my sensei, I had to do it."

They were interrupted when Hinata returned with their drinks. "Itachi, I am going to go and look for Master Jiraiya."

"If you go outside make sure no one sees you near the entrance," he advised cautiously.

"I will" She replied with a small smile before heading toward the elevator.

Shikamaru was surprised by the way these two looked at each other when they spoke. _It's like they were a couple or something, h_e thought as he watched Itachi's eyes as they followed Hinata's progress out of the room.

Hinata took the elevator to the top of the hill. After looking around with her Byakugan, she spotted someone with a large amount of chakra at the edge of the field. She quickly summoned Kuroy to go check whether it was Jiraiya or not. Kuroy came back in a few minutes later confirming it was him. She scanned out even further with her Byakugan to make sure no one was around.

"Kuroy, please tell Lord Jiraiya it is safe for him to proceed."

He flew off to give him the message. Hinata stepped into the elevator and went down to the lower floor to let Jiraiya in.

Jiraiya was surprised when a female leaf ninja, a Hyuuga no less, stood at the door to meet him.

"Jiraiya-sama" Hinata said as she bowed respectfully to him.

A smirk formed on his face as her position gave him a chance to check out her rack. _Pretty nice, _he thought as a leered at her_. _

Hinata saw that look he gave her and her tone became less civil. "If you would follow me please, everyone is upstairs waiting for you."

"After you beautiful, hee-hee." He said with a giggle as he motioned to the elevator with his hand.

When Hinata stepped into the elevator she noticed he was standing very close to her. Feeling creeped out, she moved over in the small elevator as far as she could. Sliding over closer to her he had her backed into a corner and his hand was reaching toward her boobs. Reaching the limit of her patience, she pulled out a kunai knife and placed it against his neck. "Um, Lord Jiraiya, I see now why Naruto-kun calls you pervy sage."

He backed off with a laugh. "Hahaha, I was just joking around. What's your name beautiful?"

"Hinata Hyuuga," she replied patiently as she looked him in the eye.

"Ah yes, Hinata, I remember you now. You were the little girl who used to watch Naruto all the time," he told her with a look of recognition in his eyes.

She lowered her eyes in embarrassment at how silly she used to be. "Yes Jiraiya-sama, that was me."

He laughed a little trying to smooth things over with her. "Well Hinata, I'm sorry for my behavior, do you think we could start over?"

A soft smile graced her face, "I would like that," she said softly before pushing the button to open the door.

Inside the house, Itachi was getting worried about Hinata thinking she was taking too long. He was about to push the button for the elevator when the door opened and he saw Hinata standing next to Lord Jiraiya.

Itachi frowned when Hinata immediately rushed out of the elevator and stood close by him. _That perv better not have touched her, _he thought as he glared at Lord Jiraiya.

Hinata softly touched his hand letting him know it was okay. He felt his anger recede a little. Jiraiya glanced at Hinata shrewdly. _It appears that Naruto is not the only one with the power to change people_.

"Lord Jiraiya" Itachi said firmly as he bowed just short of being disrespectful.

"Itachi Uchiha." The sanin responded as he watched at him closely. "I always did wonder about you. Before you left the village, Sarutobi Sensei had spoken about you a few times. He said that besides the Fourth, you were easily the most talented ninja he had seen in a generation. Not only that, he mentioned you were a ninja of honor. So, it was always puzzling to me when I heard the news about the Uchiha clan massacre - your part in it never added up to me. Sarutobi-sensei was always an excellent judge of character… this meeting should be pretty interesting."

Itachi did not back down an inch as he stared back at the older Ninja. "Indeed, we shall see, Lord Jiraiya," Itachi stated calmly as he turned and gestured for him to follow him to join the others.

**Author's Note:** Only one more chapter to go and then I will delete part two and rewrite most of it. Thanks for sticking with me, especially through all of the naughty chapters.

Edited: 5/3/13


	17. Chapter 17

**Beach Interlude Re-post**

**Chapter 17**

* * *

Naruto came out of kitchen and yelled, "Pervy-Sage, you're late!"

Jiraiya's eyes darted around in embarrassment before he shoved Naruto around the corner and whispered in a harassed voice, "Hey, I told you not to call me that in public."

His student ignored him and his blue eyes raked him over knowingly, "Yeah- yeah, so, what held you up this time?"

Jiraiya blushed, "Oh nothing… I was just doing some re-search."

"Oh I bet you were - you probably stopped at that town with all the strip joints down the road," Naruto accused him with a shrewd look.

Jiraiya shot his apprentice a quelling glance before shifting his eyes meaningfully toward Tsunade, warning him to shut the hell up in front of her, "No, no - of course not."

Itachi decided to come to the old pervert's rescue and asked everyone to follow him to the library. Hinata went into the dining room and had everyone else come with her to the library. The Hokage and Nana brought their glasses of sake with them.

The library was a large room with windows on one side of the room and skylights in the ceiling. One side of the wall contained many books as well as several shelves filled with scrolls. Nana had arranged the chairs in a circle with a chair for Itachi a little further away so everyone could see him well.

He sat down in his chair at the top of the circle. Tsunade and Jiraiya sat across from him. Hinata took the chair closest to him and Nana flanked him on the other side. Shikamaru, Naruto and Sakura filled the vacant chairs that were left.

Itachi glanced around the room and saw he had everyone's attention and with brief and concise language he shared about his recent illness and how he came across Hinata and how she and Sakura had healed him.

"Hey, how do you know Hinata so well?" Naruto asked him after he had finished as he scratched his head.

Hinata leaned forward in her seat and answered gently for Itachi, "Naruto-kun, Itachi and I are old friends from when I was very young. At one time our families were planning an alliance between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha. Itachi and I were to be married when I became old enough."

Several eyebrows were raised at once, as the alliance between the Hyuuga and Uchiha had been conducted in secret and this was the first any of them had heard of it.

Naruto was going to say something but Sakura interceded by giving him a dark look. Naruto sat back meekly in his seat and watched Sakura warily out of the corner of his eye.

Itachi looked around the room to make sure he had everyone's attention before continuing.

"Sasuke and I were born into the Uchiha clan's legacy of hatred and violence…we have great power with the Sharingan, but it comes at a great cost. That legacy of power helped corrupt my clan. Over the years the clan had been becoming more corrupt, continually feeling unsatisfied being the police force for Konoha. They felt they had been distanced from the rest of Konoha and it created resentment. Many of the Uchiha had started meeting secretly to plan an uprising against Konoha. While I was growing up a great deal of pressure was applied to me to join in their rebellion," he paused for a moment so they could absorb his words.

Jiraiya shared a glance with Tsunade as they listened to the young Akatsuki member in front of them share how he was stuck in the middle of clan resentment and Konoha politics. He was not surprised when Danzo's name was mentioned as the one who gave the order for the clan's elimination.

The Hokage's eyes were regretful as she interrupted him, "My sensei left me a memo stating he had attempted to end the hostilities between your clan and Konoha but he had been out-voted by Danzo and the other elders."

"Yes, Lady Hokage, he did try but I believe Madara Uchiha was secretly controlling Danzo behind the scenes. I am not sure about the other two advisors, Homura and Koharu, I just know they voted with Danzo, to destroy not just the leaders of the uprising but the women and children as well," Itachi supplied with a grim twist of his mouth.

An emotional silence permeated the room as he continued, "The reason I believe he was involved was because around the same time I was given my orders, Madara Uchiha showed up and told me he was planning to invade Konoha along with a neighboring village. He'd never forgiven Konoha or his clan for not supporting him in his bid to become Hokage. I offered to allow him to assist me in destroying the clan and give him his chance for revenge in exchange for not attacking Konoha. He agreed. On the night of the massacre I was supposed to kill my brother Sasuke, but I couldn't go through with it. In order to keep Madara from killing him, I had to join Akatsuki and promise to help him accomplish his goals," he admitted before breathing out shortly and continuing.

"After I carried out the order, I went before the council and made them promise to not harm my brother. I offered to take all the blame for the massacre if they kept the truth of the clan's uprising a secret from Sasuke. And I threatened to share Konoha's secrets with other nations if they tried to harm him. I also pleaded with the Third to protect my brother from them, in return I would watch over Akatsuki and Orochimaru for him. He watched over Sasuke until his death," he said sadly.

"Shortly after the Third's death, I used the excuse of trying to capture Naruto to enter the village. My real goal was to remind Danzo and the others that I was still around and to keep their promise to me," he said firmly.

"Yeah, I remember that time. If you cared for your brother so much, why did you beat the crap out of him and put him in the hospital?" Naruto yelled at him.

"Naruto-kun, I had no choice, I had to make Sasuke hate me - in order to make him stronger. It was the only way I could help him survive."

"Well, I don't agree with you. It was because of you he left the village in the first place," Naruto shot back.

"Yes, that is true. He sought out Orochimaru's training in order to defeat me," Itachi admitted. "However, I think it was just a matter of time before that event took place. You see, Orochimaru had coveted the Sharingan for a long time. When I first joined Akatsuki, he attempted to use his Living Corpse Reincarnation jutsu on me and I used my Sharingan to counter it. I injured and humiliated him and forced him out of Akatsuki in order to find a new body to use. A few years later, he began to set his sights on my brother," he said with a look of distaste on his face.

"Regarding Sasuke, I plan to meet Sasuke very soon to give him a chance to defeat me. I will need your help to protect my brother. Akatsuki must not be allowed to capture him. Sasuke is also travelling around with a team of leftovers from Orochimaru's experiments. We will need to also keep them away from us while we fight," he said as he turned toward Shikamaru.

"Nara Shikamaru, I specifically requested you to be at this meeting because of your ability to plan. As I said before I received detailed information about your fight with Hidan. I know for a fact you did not just get lucky in defeating him. You planned out all the details for every situation and defeated him. I will need your help in collecting my brother. I will assist you by being the bait to catch him. Otherwise, he will not return to Konoha until his goal of defeating me is fulfilled," he explained as he glanced over at Naruto.

"Lady Hokage, I will need two teams to provide back up for me when I meet my brother, I will give you the meeting place a week or before it happens. You will need to have one team intercept Sasuke's team and another to stop Madara, who also is known as Tobi from coming near our location. Another person is Zetsu, He is an Akatuski member who is a spy, I know he will be in the area. I will provide you with details about their abilities before you leave," he stated as he looked at the Hokage.

"I will have to fight Sasuke until he is at the end of his limits in order to draw out Orochimaru and seal him and his filthy curse mark away forever. I will need you to capture both of us and bring us to Konoha for medical attention. For the information I provide you against Akatsuki I wish to be given a pardon as well as one for my brother. If you cannot give us both full pardons I wish at least the chance to make reparations for my past crimes and prove my worth as loyal shinobi to Konoha. Lady Hokage, I will accept whatever punishment you give me as long as you pardon my brother," Itachi said humbly.

Sitting next to him, a flash of worry came over Hinata's face at the thought of him being punished.

"Itachi, if you prove yourself worthy and do not betray us, I will be very fair in my judgment of you," The Hokage promised firmly.

"That is all I ask Lady Hokage. I am ready to come home and help defend my village," Itachi said as his eyes glanced meaningfully toward Hinata. He surprised her by standing up next to her and holding out his hand. Blushing furiously as she put her hand in his, she slowly stood up next to him and looked at him with wide, confused eyes.

"Lady Hokage, I have one more request of you. Hinata and I would like to be married - would you perform the ceremony for us?" Itachi requested as he felt his future bride start to faint, he caught her before she hit the floor.

To be continued in Part II…

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry it took me so long to finish this. It took me a while to edit all of the details of Itachi's past, etc. Anyway, this is the last chapter, part II will start soon and will be practically rewritten because it sucked so bad. There were a few scenes/settings I liked so I will leave some of it in but it will be a lot shorter than it used to be.

Also, regarding my use of Lady Tsunade vs Lady Hokage, in the anime if some of you notice it is sometimes translated like that in the subtitles. I know for sure Shizune calls her that on occasion. I decided to go with Lady Hokage just to simplify it.

**Manga spoiler notes:** (Ch 511) Dang, I really liked the last chapter, for once Kishimoto didn't destroy a romantic moment. The scene where Konan was bandaging Yahiko's wounds and they share a look, it was touching and so sweet. Also, I liked how Nagato was standing out in the rain giving them their time together. (Aww) I liked that there wasn't an ugly romantic love triangle between the three of them that was really refreshing imo.

**Edited: 5/4/13**. I just started posting again for part II, thanks so much for reading:)


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